Activists and families of 51 people detained in the UAE call for their release

The 51 are part of a larger group of people who were convicted of conspiring to overthrow the government in what is known as the UAE94 case. In 2011, they had signed a petition calling on the government to introduce democratic and political reforms in the country

May 11, 2023 by Peoples Dispatch
UAE unjustified detention
(Photo: EDCA rights)

On Tuesday, May 9, human rights activists and families of 51 people being detained by authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) demanded their immediate release, arguing that they have completed their prison sentences. The prison terms of the 51 detainees began expiring in 2019, however, UAE authorities have kept them in detention under different pretexts. The 51 are part of a larger group of people who were convicted of conspiring to overthrow the government in what is known as the UAE94 case. 

94 individuals had been tried in the case in a mass trial in 2013, of whom 69 were convicted—eight of them in absentia—and received prison sentences of up to 15 years. Among the 94 charged were a number of human rights lawyers, academics, and pro-democracy activists. In 2011, they had signed a petition calling on the UAE government to introduce democratic and political reforms in the country. Among the demands was the creation of a Federal National Council with full regulatory powers, along with universal suffrage and basic human rights within the existing framework of a constitutional monarchy.

The Emirates Detainees Advocacy Centre compiled the list of 51 detainees who have served their terms of 10 years or less, but are still being held in detention. The authorities in some cases have claimed that further “counseling” is being given to them, while no reason has been provided in others. 

The issue of their unlawfully extended detention has also been taken up internationally. On Monday, a number of countries at the United Nations Human Rights Council, including one of UAE’s most important allies—the United States, called on the government to release “all individuals detained for exercising their freedom of expression.” A group of 42 local and international organizations has also urged the Emirati government to “immediately and unconditionally” release the detainees, adding that they are being unjustly detained for nothing more than exercising their right to free speech and expression.