United Arab Emirates: “There is no freedom here”: Silencing dissent in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)

In March 2011, a group of 133 women and men put their names to a petition calling for democratic reform, including the right to vote. The petition sparked an uncompromisingly repressive official response from the authorities. This report documents how the UAE authorities have thrown out the rule-book of international law to stigmatize and imprison peaceful critics using provisions that equate advocacy of reform with threats to national security. Amnesty International seeks to break the silence surrounding the human rights violations now unfolding and to mobilize international action in support of its victims.