Diplomatic silence in the face of an unfair collective trial

Governments should monitor the verdict and call for the release of the accused

(Beirut) – Allies of the United Arab EmiratesCountries around the world, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and European Union member states, should end their silence on the unfair mass trial of at least 84 political dissidents and human rights defenders, Human Rights Watch said today. They should send observers to a session on July 10, 2024, where a verdict is expected.

In December 2023, when Accommodation the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), the Emirati authorities brought charges against at least 84 defendants, the second the largest trial in UAE history, in retaliation for the formation of an independent advocacy group in 2010. The trial was spoils by a multitude of violations of the right to a fair trial and due process, including allegations of ill-treatment amounting to torture, judges ordering witnesses to testify, violations of the principle of double jeopardy and hearings shrouded in secrecy.

“The US, UK, EU and other UAE allies should stand up for the 84 brave Emiratis who face life in prison simply for expressing their political beliefs and standing up for human rights,” he said. Joey SheaUnited Arab Emirates researcher for Human Rights Watch. “The UAE’s allies should demand the immediate and unconditional release of these human rights defenders, meet with their families, send trial observers, and publicly condemn this unfair trial.”

In a statement published on January 6, the Emirati authorities accused The 84 are charged with “establishing and managing a clandestine terrorist organization in the United Arab Emirates known as the Committee for Justice and Dignity.” The charges appear to stem from the UAE’s abusive 2014 draft law counterterrorism The law provides for penalties of up to life imprisonment and even the death penalty for anyone who creates, organizes or leads such an organization. On May 10, the official United Arab Emirates News Agency (WAM), announcement that the verdict in the case would be delivered on July 10.

Human Rights Watch urged governments to send observers to observe the trial proceedings, which the UAE maintains are open to the public. To Human Rights Watch’s knowledge, no embassy in the UAE has sent such observers. Human Rights Watch also called on governments to condemn due process violations and demand the immediate and unconditional release of the defendants. No allies of the UAE have made public statements calling for their release or expressing concern about the conduct of the trial, despite many of these same governments regularly stating that human rights are an important part of their foreign policy.

Several of the 84 accused have been guard in solitary confinement for at least a year and reported abusive conditions of detention, including physical assaults, lack of access to medical care and necessary medication, loud and incessant music, and forced nudity.

At least 60 of the defendants were previously convicted in 2013 for their involvement in the Justice and Dignity Committee, according to the Emirates Detainees Advocacy Center (EDAC). This raises concerns that the Emirati authorities are violating the principle double jeopardy, which prohibits trying people twice for the same offence after they have received a final verdict.

While a January statement from WAM claimed the matter was “publicEmirati authorities have severely restricted access to the hearings, even for family members, and have kept secret key details of the case, including the names of all the defendants.

The Emirati authorities have stop The defendants’ lawyers have apparently not been given physical or electronic copies of the court documents, relatives of the defendants said, and can only view the documents on a screen in a secure room under the surveillance of security guards. Informed sources said the lawyers are not allowed to take photos of the documents and are only allowed to take handwritten notes.

“It’s the second “This is the largest unfair mass trial of political dissidents and human rights defenders in the history of the UAE, and the international community is making no statement of concern,” Shea said. “Emirati authorities have long used their country’s economic and security connections to suppress criticism of its human rights record, but rarely, if ever, has the silence of its allies been so deafening.”