GENERAL
On 24th July 2026, FairSquare and Human Rights Watch sent a joint letter to the Greater Manchester mayoral candidates on their concerns about human rights abuses in the UAE. The letter noted the organisations’ concerns about links between Manchester City Council and the UAE government in a context of systematic human rights abuses. The letter notes that Manchester City Council has a close financial relationship with senior figures in the UAE government, in particular through its stake in the Manchester Life Development Company (MLDC), a joint venture ultimately controlled by Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nayan, vice president and deputy prime minister of the UAE. The letter states that the joint venture has offered the Emirati government valuable reputational benefits in the city of Manchester, helping the UAE government deflect from its image as a pervasive human rights violator.
In particular, the letter urged the candidates to speak out about the UAE’s support of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan, forces that have committed widespread war crimes and crimes against humanity in the context of the conflict in Sudan. It cites a new report by Human Rights Watch which adds to mounting evidence that the UAE has provided military support to the RSF in Sudan, a force responsible for widespread war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other atrocities, including as part of a campaign of ethnic cleansing in the Darfur region. The report found that Colombian military contractors passed through UAE military bases before being deployed to Sudan to support the abusive RSF. This is further evidence indicating that the UAE is assisting or otherwise substantially contributing to the Rapid Support Forces’ capacity to commit war crimes.
Expression
On 4th September 2026, imprisoned poet Abdulrahman Yusuf Al-Qaradawi was released by a presidential pardon. Al-Qaradawi, an Egyptian national, was extradited from Lebanon to UAE on 8th January 2025 on the basis of an agreement by the General Secretariat of the Council of Arab Interior Ministers. On 27th August 2026, the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal’s Cybercrime Circuit had ruled that he serve ten years’ imprisonment and fined him AED 200,000 (USD 54,448) after he was charged and convicted in relation to critical comments he made about the UAE, Saudi Arabian and Egyptian authorities in a 2024 video posted online.
UAE authorities warn against photographing, posting, or sharing images of incident sites or projectile damage as well as government buildings and diplomatic missions. British nationals are subject to UAE laws, violations may lead to fines, imprisonment, or deportation. #UKUAECR26
— UK in UAE 🇬🇧🇦🇪 (@ukinuae) March 13, 2026
In separate developments, on 6th March 2026, UAE authorities warned the public against photographing, publishing or circulating images and videos of incident sites or damage caused by missiles and drones amid the regional conflict which was sparked by the US-Israel war on Iran, saying such material could spread inaccurate information and cause public panic. On 12th March, the Guardian reported that at least 20 people, including a British national, had been charged under UAE cybercrime laws in connection with filming and posting material related to Iranian attacks. Days later, on 20th March, Abu Dhabi Police announced the arrest of 109 people accused of filming sites and incidents related to Iranian attacks and circulating inaccurate information on social media.