In the Face Repression: Defenders of Human Rights in the UAE
The International Coalition for Freedoms and Rights (ICFR) releases herein a report (below) on the situation of the defenders of human rights in the UAE. The report functions as a model which reviews the rights of these individuals who have been granted immunity and due importance by the global community so that they are able to deliver their message of awakening the people and emboldening them to rise up against the repression of authorities on human rights and freedoms.
ICFR aims to shed light on violations and transgressions committed against defenders of human rights in the UAE which have endangered their safety and the safety of their families. Furthermore, it bares the reality of the dealings between authorities and the constant demand for reform and change – a social phenomenon which should be effectuated by the state and not by its citizens.
The report begins by addressing the importance of human rights defenders in general and illustrates the significance of the presence of this segment in societies which triggers the push for reform and makes their countries more respectful and tolerant towards human rights and freedoms. The report then transitions into the discussion of human rights defenders in the state of UAE.
It then elaborates on the document which was signed by 133 reformists, activists and human rights advocates of various ideological orientations and submitted on 9 March 2011 to the leader of the nation al-Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan demanding the election of all members of the UAE Federal National Council through direct vote in addition to strengthening the powers of this body which currently holds no legislative or regulatory authority.
The report then talks about the patterns of violations committed against defenders of human rights in UAE. It lays out examples and cases as references and citations of the physical torture faced by human rights defenders in the form of detainments, enforced disappearances, freezing of assets and properties and other such violations and crimes. The report posits that these actions against activists and human rights advocates seeking reform greatly endangers their and their families’ well-being.
In conclusion, ICFR demands from the UAE to immediately and unconditionally release all prisoners who have been detained for trying to exercise their freedom of expression – at the fore of whom is the group which has been in continuous detention for seeking reform, better known as the 94 Reformists of UAE. ICFR calls upon the government to drop all charges against them based on its right to put forth its demands through peaceful struggle. ICFR also calls upon the United Arab Emirates to respect the rights guaranteed in the Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognised Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.
* Published in December 2015 by The International Coalition for Freedoms and Rights (ICFR)
Read more, click here: icfr.info/en/?p=4188
