Association
During a hearing on 4th March 2025, the State Security Department of the Federal Supreme Court in the UAE rejected the appeals submitted by 53 people convicted in the case known in the media as the “UAE84” case. They include Ahmed Mansoor, who is on the Advisory Board of GCHR.
The Federal Supreme Court upheld all the sentences of those convicted by the State Security Department of the Federal Court of Appeal in Abu Dhabi on 10th July 2024, including life sentences for 43 people, 15 years in prison for five individuals, and 10 years in prison for five others. In addition, six companies were fined 20 million Dirhams after being convicted. Additionally, 24 individuals in the case were not sentenced due to the expiration of the statute of limitations.
As previously documented on the Monitor, on 10th July 2024, prominent human rights defenders Abulsalam Darwish Al-Marzouqi, Sultan Bin Kayed Al-Qasimi, Dr. Mohammed Al-Roken, Dr. Mohammed Al-Mansoori, and Sheikh Mohammed Abdulrazzaq Al-Siddiq were among 43 people sentenced to life in prison, which is tantamount to 25 years in prison, “for the crime of establishing, founding and managing” the Justice and Dignity Committee, allegedly “with the aim of committing terrorist acts on the country’s soil” according to the official WAM news agency. Dr. Al-Roken and Dr. Al-Mansoori are both human rights lawyers. At the time of the trial, all five were being held in prison past the end of their sentences. In addition, exiled human rights defenders Hamad Al-Shamsi and Mohammed Al-Saqer were sentenced in absentia to life in prison.
Human Rights Watch described the rejection of the appeals as a “death knell for Emirati civil society”. GCHR commented, “It’s a tragedy to put on trial innocent citizens who mostly served their initial sentences, solely due to the intention of the authorities to keep them in prison indefinitely for their peaceful and legitimate human rights activities.”
GCHR also highlighted the arrest on 19th January 2025 of Sudanese political activist Mohammed Farouk Suleiman as he was about to board a short flight out of the country from Dubai Airport. He has been unlawfully detained without any charges being brought against him. Suleiman is a Sudanese national figure who has long championed democracy and human rights principles. He was previously arrested for his efforts to achieve a democratic civilian transition in Sudan. He was a founding leader of the Forces for Freedom and Change, which formed a civilian political coalition on 1st January 2019.
On 12th March 2025, his friends issued a memorandum, demanding his release from arbitrary detention without formal charges, which stated, “This arbitrary detention is not an isolated incident, but rather part of a recurring pattern of violations committed by the UAE authorities against Sudanese citizens.”
Expression
On 5th March 2025, a group of UN independent human rights experts expressed deep concern over the lack of information on the fate, whereabouts and safety of poet and activist, Abdulrahman Al-Qaradawi, following his extradition from Lebanon to the UAE on 8th January 2025. The national security related charges against Mr. Al Qaradawi that led to his extradition appear to be based solely on comments in a video he posted to social media while visiting Syria, expressing his hope that Syria’s future would not be hindered by the intervention of foreign States, including the UAE. Since his extradition to the UAE, Al-Qaradawi has reportedly had no contact with his family and has been denied access to legal counsel. GCHR has also reported on his case and 34 human rights organisations submitted a joint appeal on his behalf to UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Kaja Kallas, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for the European Union.