UAE Silent on Fate of Syrian Rights Activist Despite UN Request
The UAE authorities deliberately ignored a request from the United Nations to reveal the fate of a Syrian human rights activist who has been arbitrarily detained since 2011 and was sentenced to ten years in prison.
The UAE government failed to respond to the deadline for a letter sent by two UN rapporteurs regarding the deteriorating situation of Syrian human rights activist Abdul Rahman Al-Nahhas in Abu Dhabi prisons.
Mary Lawlor, who serves as the Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders and the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, sent a communication to inquire about Al-Nahhas’s status in prisons within the UAE.
The letter, which was sent on November 17, called on the UAE authorities to provide a response to this information within 60 days and to provide any additional information or comments regarding the accusations mentioned in the letter, in addition to providing information about Al-Nahhas’s physical and psychological health condition.
The letter noted that Al-Nahhas’ mental and physical state had worsened since he was first detained in December 2019. Despite lodging multiple complaints about his health, he had not been provided with any medical treatment.
The correspondence further stated that the Syrian detainee’s physical and mental well-being had worsened in recent times. This decline was attributed to the reported sexual assault in the prison, coupled with the UAE authorities’ dismissal of his grievances. Consequently, he attempted suicide, and his psychological state deteriorated to the extent that he relied on fellow inmates for basic daily tasks.
The letter conveyed the Special Rapporteurs’ apprehension regarding this situation and urged the UAE government to ensure that Al-Nahhas receives proper access to healthcare and psychological support services. Additionally, they called for an investigation into the allegations, implementation of corrective actions, and pursuit of justice if the accusations are verified.
The UAE officials were given a 60-day deadline to respond to this information and to offer any further details or remarks concerning the allegations outlined in the letter. Additionally, they were requested to furnish information regarding Al-Nahhas’s physical and mental health status.
However, the Emirati authorities ignored the UN message and have not responded to the message until this moment, even though more than 60 days have passed since it was sent.
It is noteworthy that on September 8, 2021, the State Security Department issued a ruling to imprison the Syrian activist Abdel Rahman Al-Nahhas for ten years on charges of belonging to a terrorist organization and insulting the prestige of the state, due to an email he sent to the French embassy requesting asylum.
Khalaf Al-Nahhas, the brother of Syrian human rights activist Abdul Rahman, previously stated that the family considers him to be forcibly disappeared to this day by the UAE State Security Service.
Khalaf expressed the family’s profound dismay following the Federal Court’s verdict, which sentenced his brother to 10 years in prison, as decreed by the State Security Department. He noted the ruling came as a surprise, particularly in light of the UAE’s establishment of the “National Commission for Human Rights.”
He continued, “There are no words that can describe the extent of the intense pain and anger that we felt after being informed of the unjust sentence that was issued against my oppressed brother.”
Al-Nahhas revealed that he called his brother the day before the ruling was issued, and he was suffering from a nervous breakdown. He was crying intensely and could not calm him down. He believed that the reason for this was the ill-treatment his brother was subjected to during his trial, in addition to the conditions of the notorious Al-Wathba prison.
The brother of the founder of the “Insan Watch organization,” which focuses on monitoring Syrian regime violations, compared the treatment Abdul Rahman received from Emirati authorities to the brutal actions of a butcher dealing with prey. He recounted Abdul Rahman’s ordeal of being forcibly isolated in a cell, enduring harsh interrogation methods while blindfolded, amid physical abuse, verbal taunts, and threats of execution or deportation to Syria.
