Human Rights Reports Expose UAE’s Stricter Control on Israel-Related Speech
An international human rights organization has spotlighted the UAE authorities’ increased repression of free speech concerning Israel and any criticism aimed at Tel Aviv, even amidst the ongoing conflict in Gaza that has lasted for ten months.
Americans for Democracy and Human Rights reported that the UAE has recently embarked on a sweeping effort to suppress dissent, marked by a total neglect of justice and human rights.
This campaign includes a series of arrests, summonses, and deportations targeting individuals who criticize Israel’s actions and its aggression against Gaza, in flagrant violation of the right to freedom of expression.
The organization confirmed that this worrying trend of restrictions on freedoms in the Emirates has been continuing for a long time, and has intensified in recent months.
Since formalizing relations with Israel in 2020, the UAE has increasingly stifled anti-normalization ideas and voices critical of Israel’s actions, especially after the events and aggression on Gaza following the October 7, 2023, attack.
Recently, Emirati citizens and foreign residents were arrested and summoned due to posts on social media opposing Israeli military actions or normalization with Tel Aviv.
For instance, K.H., a Jordanian national of Palestinian descent who has been employed in Dubai for five years, was summoned by the State Security Service in Abu Dhabi on April 10, 2024, following a Facebook post criticizing Israel.
He was held in detention for three days without access to legal counsel and was coerced into leaving the UAE without the opportunity to file any objections.
Also, an Egyptian citizen reported that he was interrogated by Emirati security officials on March 25 over social media posts criticizing the Arab and Muslim response to the famine in Gaza during Ramadan and demanding an end to normalization with Israel.
After hours of interrogation, he was terminated from his job and given just 48 hours to exit the country without legal recourse or the chance to contest the decision.
Additionally, UAE security services are said to have initiated intimidation campaigns on university campuses, threatening academics and student activists who did not comply with government directives to avoid protesting against Israel.
These recent events add to existing human rights violations committed by the UAE authorities, particularly the State Security Service, which illegally detains foreign citizens from exercising their right to freedom of expression.
The UAE government has a track record of detaining individuals under inhumane conditions, subjecting them to interrogation, and in some instances, imposing physical and psychological torture before deporting them on fabricated charges.
The explanation is that the UAE justifies these actions by classifying freedom of expression as a terrorist crime.
For instance, in the mass trial held in the UAE in 1984, dozens of activists, human rights defenders, and dissidents who had signed a petition calling for constitutional reforms were accused by UAE authorities of being members of a covert terrorist group named the Dignity and Justice Committee.
Furthermore, the government said that the activities fall under the UAE’s anti-terrorism law passed in 2014, which punishes individuals who create such “organizations” with life imprisonment or even the death penalty, distorting the true meaning of organizing a terrorist group.
The organization stressed that the international community must pressure the UAE to end this repressive campaign. Human rights organizations should be allowed access to detainees.
It also stressed that all individuals detained unconditionally for expressing their opinions must be released. The UAE must also repeal laws that violate human rights, including the anti-terrorism law, passed in 2014, to bring it into line with its constitutional and international obligations.
