Evidence of the UAE’s Shameful Human Rights Record

Amnesty International did not hesitate to describe the human rights record of the United Arab Emirates as “shameful” and presented evidence to support this claim.

Amnesty’s stance was released on the occasion of the meeting on climate change in the city of Bonn on June 5, 2023, which will help shape the agenda of the upcoming Climate Conference (COP28) scheduled to be held in Dubai later this year.

The organization highlighted the case of the “closed civil society” in the UAE due to the repressive regime in the country. Civil society, the right to freedom of expression, freedom of association, and the right to peaceful assembly are essential elements for the success of any conference, yet these elements are clearly absent in the UAE.

UAE law prohibits criticism of “the state or UAE rulers” and imposes penalties, including life imprisonment or the death penalty, for any affiliation with a group opposing the “ruling system” or for ambiguous “crimes” such as “harming national unity” or “state interests.”

In response to a public plea for democratic reforms signed by hundreds of citizens in 2011, the UAE government launched a fierce crackdown, imprisoning dozens of Emiratis working in the legal field, university professors, and public employees.

Abu Dhabi also dissolved the board of the Emirates Association for Lawyers and Jurists, whose two former presidents had signed the pro-democracy plea and are now in prison.

The second piece of evidence presented by Amnesty International is the surveillance programs, well-known for their use by UAE authorities to perpetuate repression and despotism.

According to the organization, the UAE government has long sought to spy on human rights defenders and other critics using digital means.

Among those targeted is Ahmed Mansoor, a recipient of the prestigious Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders, who was arrested in 2017 in retaliation for his peaceful activities, including posting comments on social media. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges of “insulting the state’s prestige.”

Investigations conducted by journalists, civil society organizations, and a judicial ruling from a British court concluded that the UAE was likely behind the digital surveillance of numerous public figures.

Among those figures is the late Emirati activist and human rights defender, Alaa Al-Siddiq, a British House of Lords member.

There are suspicions that the UAE has also targeted writers and editors in international publications, including the Financial Times, The Economist, and The Wall Street Journal.

Based on the UAE’s record, there are reasons to believe that civil society delegates and members participating in the Climate Conference (COP28) may be subjected to unlawful digital surveillance by UAE authorities.