UAE's Munasaha Centres - Report

A number of political prisoners in the UAE are currently detained in  Munasaha centres, also known as ‘counselling’ centres. Sentenced in direct reprisal of their peaceful activism and expression of political opinion these individuals have served their full original sentences. 

As defined in Article 1 of the UAE’s counterterrorism law, the centres are aimed at ‘enlightenment and reform’ of prisoners who are deemed to pose a terrorist threat or those who have been convicted of terrorist acts. Munasaha centres are not separate facilities, but instead part of the prisons in a different ward. As a result, regulation of prisoners’ rights regarding calls and visits apply to prisoners placed in Munasaha centres.

The individuals identified in this report are arbitrarily held in such centres, either through a court order or through an administrative decision. There are nine individuals known to be indefinitely detained, two of which are women who have not been officially transferred to a Munasaha centre, but remain in the ward where they served their sentence.

Download the full report here.