Four Years, No News: Two Prisoners of Conscience in UAE

Here’s another version of the translation:

The UAE Detainees Advocacy Center marked four years of total silence regarding two prisoners of conscience, Mariam Al-Balushi and Amina Al-Abdoli, who remain imprisoned in the UAE.

According to a statement seen by “Emirates Leaks,” the center emphasized that it has been six years since UAE authorities forcibly silenced Al-Balushi and Al-Abdoli, who were due to be released on November 19, 2020, after completing their sentences.

However, the authorities have kept them in detention, ignoring multiple international appeals for their release. At the same time, the UAE continues to promote itself as a protector of women’s rights, yet the case of these detainees casts doubt on the legitimacy of such claims.

Mariam and Amina, initially just names on the list of prisoners in Al-Wathba prison, have become symbols of oppression after leaked audio files revealed horrific details of their torture and mistreatment inside UAE jails.

In her first recording, the Arab Organization for Human Rights in Britain shared Amina’s story from May 2018, recounting how she was detained without authorization in November 2015 and subjected to brutal physical and psychological torture that caused her to lose consciousness. Mariam also described being sexually assaulted and the severe and lasting psychological trauma that followed.

Subsequent recordings exposed the inhumane conditions at Al-Wathba prison, including overcrowded cells, spoiled food, and inadequate healthcare, prompting prisoners to stage multiple hunger strikes in protest.

Despite Amina and Mariam’s pleas to human rights organizations, the UAE responded with further repression, charging them with new crimes and sentencing them to an additional three years for “disseminating information harmful to public order.”

The story of the two prisoners has been included in international human rights reports, but it has come at a steep price. In their final recording in April 2020, they made an urgent appeal for rescue during the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, they were transferred to an undisclosed location, and since then, no information about them has been received.

The center concluded, “As the UAE authorities continue their campaign to silence voices of freedom, the names of Mariam Al-Balushi and Amina Al-Abdoli stand as a testament to an ongoing battle for human rights, against a regime intent on silencing any opposition.”