On 30 May 2022, 14 human rights organizations called, in a joint letter, on the UAE President, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to intervene immediately in favour of all prisoners of conscience in the country, close the case file permanently, and work to improve the human rights situation in the country.

Full Letter:

Your Highness,

We, the undersigned organisations, write to you to urge Your Highness to release prisoners of conscience in UAE prisons and to address this issue decisively.

We appeal to Your Highness as President of the United Arab Emirates to treat the issue of prisoners of conscience as a high priority and consider it an urgent humanitarian situation that requires your direct and immediate intervention.

Your Highness- the absence of such policies, rooted in human rights standards, is a stain on the country’s international reputation and runs counter to the Emirati government's image of the UAE as a country that believes in the values of tolerance and openness. It is the primary responsibility of Your Highness to uphold constitutional principles by putting an end to all human rights violations.

We call on Your Highness to assume full moral and legal obligations and to work for the respect of human rights. Therefore, we appeal to you not only to release all prisoners of conscience in UAE jails but also to ensure that such violations will not be repeated.

Pending their release, we hope that Your Highness will work to demonstrate your commitment to human rights and compliance with international standards for prisoners by granting prisoners of conscience their rights, such as medical care and regular family visits, and ending all forms of violations they are being exposed to.

With great respect and appreciation

Signatories

  1. Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor
  2. ALQST for Human Rights
  3. MENA Rights group
  4. Gulf Centre for Human Rights
  5. CIVICUS
  6. FEMENA
  7. Emirates Detainees Advocacy Centre
  8. International Campaign for Justice and Human Rights
  9. Geneva council for rights
  10. HuMENA for Human Rights and Civic Engagement
  11. European Centre for Democracy and Human Rights
  12. Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain
  13. International Centre for Justice and Human Rights
  14. Skyline International for Human Rights