Human Rights Exhibition Exposes Severe Violations in the UAE
The third edition of the Alternative Human Rights Expo brought attention to the severe human rights abuses in the UAE, including the arbitrary detention of activists and human rights defenders.
The event, organized online by the Gulf Centre for Human Rights, saw the participation of over twenty regional human rights organizations. It focused on advocating for the release of human rights defenders detained across the Middle East and North Africa.
The exhibition featured creative works by detained activists, alongside contributions from regional artists, poets, writers, and musicians, all highlighting the significance of human rights amid the growing challenges in the region.
Among the key moments was a video featuring UAE activist and prisoner of conscience Ahmed Mansoor, who is a board member of the Gulf Centre for Human Rights, and another on human rights lawyer Dr. Mohammed al-Roken, also a prisoner of conscience. Both men were sentenced to additional years in prison in July 2024.
The event took place amid escalating pressure on human rights defenders, many of whom are facing death, imprisonment, or silencing, making their efforts more critical than ever.
The event also saw participation from opposition human rights figures from a range of countries, including Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, as well as the UAE.
A few weeks earlier, a UN report spotlighted the retaliation faced by human rights activists in the UAE, as well as those cooperating with the UN and its mechanisms, within the context of the repressive system imposed by Abu Dhabi.
The UN annual report from the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights highlighted incidents of intimidation and retaliatory measures during the reporting period from May 1, 2023, to April 30, 2024, and provided updates on previous cases of retaliation.
In April, the MENA Rights Group submitted a memo to the UN Secretary-General, highlighting new retaliatory incidents and updates on ongoing cases they were tracking.
Throughout the reporting period, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and other UN special procedures expressed concerns about the mass trial of 84 individuals, known as UAE 84, as well as broader trends of opposition suppression and restrictions on civil liberties in the UAE.
Among the accused in the UAE 84 trial are victims of retaliation for cooperating with the UN, such as Mohammed al-Mansouri and Ahmed Mansoor, whose cases have been mentioned in multiple reports.
On July 10, 2024, the Abu Dhabi Appeals Court sentenced four individuals to 15 years in prison and 40 others to life sentences, among the 44 convicted. Both al-Mansouri and Mansoor were part of the accused group.
Earlier, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk condemned the widespread pattern of opposition suppression and restrictions on civil space in the UAE, particularly in light of the ongoing mass trial of dozens of opinion activists and dissidents.
In his speech to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Turk called for the UAE government to align local laws with international human rights recommendations.
Turk emphasized that the UAE’s counter-terrorism laws were being used to suppress peaceful activists, which contradicts international human rights standards.
He also noted that in December, UAE authorities brought new charges against 84 individuals, including human rights defenders, journalists, and others already in detention, some of whom had served their sentences or were arbitrarily detained after their terms had expired.
Turk stressed that this trial represents the second-largest mass trial in UAE history, following the notorious “UAE 94” case from 2012, with many of the same defendants involved.
It is important to note that Turk’s comments regarding the UAE were made as part of his address during the 55th session of the UN Human Rights Council, where he reviewed major human rights violations globally.
