On 3 April 2019, eight Lebanese men appeared before the state security Chamber of the Federal Appeal Court in Abu Dhabi. They were allowed to speak out about their detention conditions. At least one of them, Abdel Rahman Chouman, described how he was beaten for six hours at a time during the...

Eight Lebanese men were arbitrarily detained in the United Arab Emirates between December 2017 and February 2018. Some of them were forced to sign “confessions” that they were not allowed to read. They were all held without charge at an undisclosed location until their trial began on 13 February...

Alia Abdelnoor Mohamed Abdelnoor is serving a 10-year prison sentence and is in the terminal stages of cancer. On 10 January 2019, as her health deteriorated, Alia was transferred from a government hospital to Tawam Hospital in al-Ain in the UAE. She is chained to her hospital bed and held in...

On 12 February 2019, Jordanian journalist and poet, Tayseer Salman al-Najjar was released from al-Wathba prison in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The UAE authorities waived the fine imposed on him and he was flown back to Jordan on the same day. A prisoner of conscience,...

On 26 December 2018, Emirati security forces detained Pakistani national Rashid Hussain Brohi without an arrest warrant. He has been held incommunicado since then. Emirati authorities have not disclosed his location, any cause for arrest, or any charges being raised against him. There are strong...

On 31 December 2018, prominent human rights defender, Ahmed Mansoor, had his 10-year prison sentence upheld by the State Security Chamber of the Federal Supreme Court in Abu Dhabi. He was convicted on charges that include “insulting the status and prestige of the UAE and its symbols”, including its...

On 24 December 2018 the Federal Supreme Court in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is set to hear the appeal of prominent human rights defender and prisoner of conscience, Ahmed Mansoor. The court may issue a final verdict. On 29 May 2018, Ahmed Mansoor was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in...

Dr Nasser bin Ghaith’s health has severely deteriorated. The prominent Emirati economist and academic has been on hunger strike for over 70 days in al-Razeen prison in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to protest the detention conditions and the denial of access to medical care. He is a prisoner of...

Abudujilili Supi, a Uighur man who has been working as a muezzin – a leader and caller of prayers – in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, was taken away by Emirati police officers and is at risk of being forcibly returned to China, where Uighurs and other predominantly Muslim ethnic minorities are...

On 29 May, the State Security Chamber of the Federal Appeal Court in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) sentenced prominent Emirati human rights defender Ahmed Mansoor to 10 years in prison and a fine of 1,000,000 Emirati Dirham on charges including “insulting the UAE and its symbols”. He is a prisoner...

On 11 April 2018, prominent human rights defender Ahmed Mansoor appeared before a court in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for his second trial session. Amnesty International considers him to be a prisoner of conscience.

One year ago on 20 March 2017, prominent Emirati human rights defender and blogger Ahmed Mansoor, was arrested at his home. His whereabouts remain unverified despite a February mission by Irish lawyers to Abu Dhabi to find him. He remains without access to a lawyer. He is a prisoner of conscience.