Munasaha “Rehabilitation” Centers in the UAE: A System of Indefinite Detention

The United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) 2014 Counter-Terrorism Law has been subject to widespread criticism for its vague and overly broad definition of terrorism. Under this law, acts that should fall under the universally protected rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and association can be prosecuted as “terrorist offences.” Articles 14 and 15 go so[…]

The UAE State Security Agency: An Authority Responsible for Constant Repression

In the United Arab Emirates, there is a state authority that constantly abuses and restricts human rights. This is the State Security Agency (SSA), founded in 1974 by Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. The main purpose of this agency is to deal with state security issues. Over time, however, it has been used to[…]

UAE’s Intensified Suppression of Freedom of Speech: The case of Israel

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has recently launched an extensive campaign to silence opposition, marked by a stark disregard for justice and human rights. This crackdown includes a series of arrests, summonses, and deportations targeting individuals who criticize Israel’s actions in Gaza, blatantly violating the right to freedom of speech. This disturbing trend continues the[…]

Persistent UAE´s efforts to maintain critics behind bars: a new mass trial

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has invested deeply into portraying itself as a progressive, tolerant and human rights-compliant state. This strategy, however, as in other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, clashes with a reality in which activists and dissidents are detained and tried for exercising their rights to freedom of expression and association. The recent[…]

UAE fabricates new charges against detainees during COP28: the contradictory collaboration with false progressist states

On the 11th of December 2023, the NGO Emirates Detainees Advocacy Center (EDAC) reported that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has initiated a new mass trial against more than 80 emirates. Arguably, the trial represents a continuation of the infamous UAE 94 case, where numerous citizens were arrested for political views. In the latest proceeding,[…]