EU Parliamentary questions tabled on the detention conditions of political prisoners in the UAE

E-001375/2021/rev.1

Questions asked by Sirpa Pietkäinen MEP to Josep Borrell Fontelles (the Vice President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy)

Asked on 24 March 2021

1. Will the Vice‑President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP/HR) urge the Emirati Government to invite independent, impartial bodies to investigate all allegations of torture and ill‑treatment in detention centres, and hold those responsible accountable in accordance with the law? 
2. Will the VP/HR encourage the Emirati Government to arrange in‑country visits to detention centres by impartial, independent bodies, in order to ensure that the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners are being followed? 
3. Will the VP/HR publicly call for His Majesty Emir Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan to grant the release of all political activists, human rights defenders, journalists and prisoners of conscience, including Ahmed Mansour, if the investigation proves that they have been tortured and subjected to ill‑treatment in the United Arab Emirates since 2012?

Answers by Mr Josep Borrell Fontelles are currently pending. ICFUAE are keen to hear his response.