Prominent UAE Human Rights Defender Celebrates Eighth Birthday Behind Bars

Hamad Mansour, a prominent human rights defender in the UAE, spent his 55th birthday on October 22 behind bars for the eighth time since his arrest in March 2017.
For more than a decade, Mansour has been a prominent voice for human rights in the UAE and the Arab world, despite the government’s ongoing efforts to suppress him, as reported by the Emirates Advocacy Center for Detainees.
In 2011, UAE authorities detained him along with four others for six months and placed a travel ban on him, coinciding with several attempts to breach his devices using sophisticated spyware.
On the night of March 20, 2017, he was arrested again, with his family and friends left in the dark about his location for more than a year.
In May 2018, the Abu Dhabi Appeals Court sentenced him to ten years in prison for his peaceful criticism of the government and his advocacy for human rights reforms.
In July 2024, he faced trial in the new UAE 84 case and received an additional ten-year sentence after a trial widely regarded as unjust.
Since his arrest, Mansour has been kept in solitary confinement, stripped of his fundamental rights as a prisoner under international human rights standards, which the UAE purports to follow.
Human Rights Watch has previously highlighted that the UAE is targeting human rights advocate Ahmed Mansour, who is imprisoned for his views, and is demanding his immediate release.
Joe Stork, an international human rights specialist and the deputy executive director for the Middle East and North Africa at Human Rights Watch, noted in a statement that Mansour has been confined to an isolated cell in the UAE since his arrest in March 2017, lacking access to books, a bed, and even fresh air, which has adversely affected his health.
A UAE court has sentenced Ahmed Mansour to ten years in prison on allegations of “insulting the dignity and status of the state and its symbols” as well as “disseminating false information and rumors on social media.”
Joe Stork remarked, “It remains unclear what the supposed ‘insult’ or ‘false information’ could be that warrants a decade-long imprisonment. Ahmed’s trial wrapped up without disclosing the charges or the court’s ruling. He utilized Facebook and other social media to spotlight the injustices occurring in the UAE and shared insights with international human rights organizations about the unjust trials faced by Emirati activists and lawyers.”
He continued, “This situation illustrates the UAE’s adept diplomacy and investment in public relations, which have effectively shielded it from criticism of its abysmal human rights record by allies like the United States, the UK, and France. What would George Orwell think of a country that brazenly hosts ‘global summits for tolerance’ while creating a Ministry of ‘Happiness and Quality of Life,’ all while repressing civil and political groups that advocate for differing viewpoints? The lack of an independent press in the UAE amplifies the importance of Ahmed’s social media coverage, while simultaneously heightening the dangers involved.”
The international expert underscored that the UAE’s treatment of Ahmed Mansour for his “thought crimes” is both severe and unwarranted, pointing out that the Emirati rulers present a polished image to the world through international sporting and cultural events. Yet, they cannot conceal the harsh reality of a prominent human rights defender trapped in a stark cell under inhumane conditions.
Torture and Isolation
Recently, human rights sources reported that the Emirati government is mistreating human rights advocate and prisoner of conscience Ahmed Mansour by isolating him from the outside world and preventing him from communicating with his family.
The UAE Human Rights Center criticized the denial of Mansour’s phone calls with his family since last Ramadan, stating that this action constitutes a clear violation of his right to connect with the outside world, as outlined in Article 37 of the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, which mandates regular communication with family members.
Mansour has fallen victim to the abuses of the security forces in his country, becoming emblematic of the arbitrary policies and laws in the UAE. His case is frequently referenced by the United Nations as an example of the severe violations occurring in the region.
On May 30, 2018, the Federal Court in Abu Dhabi found Mansour guilty of his human rights activism, sentencing him to ten years in prison and imposing a fine of one million dirhams (around $272,000).
The court also ruled that all his communication devices be confiscated and imposed three years of administrative surveillance. This was due to his social media activities, which included allegations of insulting the dignity and status of the state and its symbols, as well as attempting to destabilize the UAE’s relations with neighboring countries by spreading false reports and information.
In December 2018, the Federal Supreme Court confirmed the ruling against Mansour as final and non-appealable, prompting outrage from numerous Arab and international human rights organizations.
Human Rights Watch characterized this verdict as “yet another nail in the coffin of any hope for justice in the UAE.”
Mansour was arrested by the State Security Agency on March 20, 2017, at his residence in Ajman.
Mansour is a leading human rights defender in the UAE and one of the signatories of the reform petition from March 2011. He was awarded the Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders in 2015.
In a report dated September 9, 2019, the UN Secretary-General identified him as a key collaborator with the UN, referencing Human Rights Council resolution 12/2 and detailing the violations and reprisals he has faced due to his advocacy work.
UN special rapporteurs highlighted serious human rights abuses against the activist in their statement on March 28, 2017, while the European Parliament condemned these violations in its resolution RSP/2862/2018 on October 4, 2018. These violations include surveillance of his phone, data breaches, his involvement in the UAE 5 case, administrative monitoring, and a travel ban before his enforced disappearance on March 20, 2017. He was subjected to arbitrary detention and a trial that lacked fair trial protections.
Authorities have deliberately mistreated Mansour, degrading his dignity at Al-Sadr prison, neglecting his health, and preventing contact with his family and lawyer for months. He has been held in solitary confinement and denied access to financial support.
The human rights advocate has undertaken several hunger strikes to protest his treatment in prison, including solitary confinement and the ten-year sentence imposed on him for a social media post in defense of human rights victims, all without the safeguards of a fair trial.
The International Center for Justice and Human Rights has urged UAE authorities to release Ahmed Mansour immediately and to initiate an impartial investigation into his mistreatment, enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention, and unjust trial. They demand that all individuals implicated in these abuses be subject to a fair judicial process and that Mansour be provided with the means to seek redress for the harm he has experienced, both materially and psychologically.
Additionally, the Emirates Human Rights Center has called for the unconditional release of Ahmed Mansour, the dismissal of all charges against him, and the restoration of his rights, including the right to free expression.
The center also stressed the importance of ensuring legal compensation for the torture and mistreatment he has faced while incarcerated, and that those responsible for such violations be held accountable through a prompt and thorough investigation.
In the UAE, numerous political detainees are imprisoned, including professors, lawyers, academics, judges, activists, and engineers. Despite their incarceration, legal violations against them persist for many years.
Human rights organizations report that there are currently 106 political prisoners in UAE jails, among them two women (Amina Al-Abdooli and Mariam Al-Balushi).
Prominent figures alongside Ahmed Mansour include those associated with the internationally recognized case (UAE 94), such as economist Dr. Nasser bin Ghaith. Nevertheless, UAE authorities continue to resist releasing opinion prisoners, even those who have completed their sentences over three years ago.
Over 140 human rights organizations globally have urged the UAE government to grant immediate release to Ahmed Mansour. Supporters have also called for his freedom and for accountability for those responsible for his detention and the abuses he has endured.
In addition to Mansour, who has become a symbol of political prisoners in the UAE, other notable names include Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Kaid Al-Qasimi, Dr. Mohammed Al-Ruqn, Dr. Mohammed Al-Mansouri, and many others who suffer for demanding freedom and the rights of citizens.
Amnesty International has recorded several instances in which the UAE has disregarded the rights of detainees. Most of these cases involved the State Security Agency, which apprehended individuals without judicial orders and kept them isolated from the outside world for extended periods, sometimes weeks or months. Many of these detainees have endured torture and other forms of mistreatment.

Furthermore, Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain notes that the Abu Dhabi government has a longstanding pattern of employing torture against those it views as threats. This predominantly includes human rights advocates, political dissidents, religious figures, and journalists.