Calls to Free UAE Prisoners of Conscience amid Execution Threats
Human rights activists disclose pleas from prisoners of conscience in the UAE before potential execution, following demands by Abu Dhabi’s ruling regime’s Public Prosecution during their recent trial.
According to the UAE Detainees’ Advocacy Center, prisoners of conscience in UAE prisons revealed their only wish, if the prosecutor’s request to execute them was met, during the seventh session of the trial known to the media (UAE 84).
The Center acquired fresh insights and updates concerning this hearing, held last Thursday at the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal, amidst stringent confidentiality upheld by the Emirati media regarding its particulars.
The court consists of three judges, notably led by Hisham Al-Sarayrah of Egyptian nationality instead of Shehab Al-Hammadi, an Emirati member of the Federal Supreme Court who has previously overseen similar cases. The identity of the third judge remains undisclosed at present.
Sources informed the Advocacy Center that numerous families of the defendants sought to attend the trial, yet security authorities restricted access to the hall, permitting only five women and two young men to enter.
According to the sources, around 27 male and female lawyers attended the session, during which some of the defendants, notably Sheikh Muhammad Al-Siddiq, addressed the judge. Al-Siddiq stated, “The prosecution has called for our execution, and traditionally, they grant the condemned’s final wishes before execution. We plead for the opportunity to defend ourselves before any death sentence is passed.”
During the trial, detainee Khalifa Al-Nuaimi voiced grievances regarding undisclosed detention facilities, highlighting the lack of information about their locations by Emirati authorities. However, Judge Al-Sarayra promptly retorted, affirming that state-owned secret prisons are lawful detention centers.
Another detainee requested to see an ophthalmologist to address his vision impairment in one eye, stating that despite months of pleading with the prison administration, his requests went unanswered.
In addition, one of the detainees complained about their continued detention in solitary confinement, saying, “I have been in solitary confinement for nine months and have been pregnant for nine months, so we hope that at the beginning of the month of Ramadan, we will be released from solitary confinement.”
The sources further mentioned that the families of the female defendants encountered significant harassment from Emirati security personnel. They were threatened with expulsion from the hall if they attempted to face the direction of the detainees, shouted at during breaks, and pressured to leave immediately to prevent them from seeing the detainees.
The sources noted that the defendants always had chains on their legs and were dressed in the familiar blue prison attire with short-sleeved red edges, which failed to shield them from the cold in the courtroom. Additionally, a large number of Special Forces personnel wearing black uniforms and masks were present, surrounding the defendants to prevent their families from seeing them, even from a distance.
It’s worth mentioning that the seventh session lasted around six hours, with some detainees visibly fatigued from the prolonged duration. Some even resorted to resting their heads on the chairs in front of them throughout the session.
