On International Prisoners Justice Day there is still no justice for prisoners in the UAE

In the UAE for the families of prisoners and detainees who have been incarcerated for their thoughts and expression, every day seems like International Prisoners Justice Day. The day was originally established in Canada, but is now recognised across the globe. The Canadian history of the day is ironically relevant to the UAE, where Canadian detainees have been stuck in prison with no reason for their detention. In June the case of one Canadian detainee, Salim al Aradi was brought to the attention of the United Nations at the 29th session of the Human Rights Council.

Al Aradi has been in detention for just under a year, with no reason being given, no access to a lawyer and no communication with his family. His detention has been arbitrarily renewed every 30 days and no charges have ever been brought against him. His family continue to campaign for his release.

Sadly Al Aradi is not the only prisoner who has suffered at the hands of the Emirati authorities. Since 2011 there have been a spate of arrests and detentions, many which have fallen far from acceptable standards of international law. Human rights activists, political campaigners and social reformers have all had to bear the brunt of the UAE’s increasing draconian rule — as they authorities have become increasingly concerned by calls for democratic reform, they have worked harder to clamp down on any form of expression that might be seen as dissent and an attempt to upset the UAE’s control over their population.

The United Nations Human Rights Council Working Group on Arbitrary Detention published its report to the General Assembly in February 2014 and noted that the UAE was not a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. But they concluded that the convictions of those that had been detained were based on charges for acts which were legitimate acts of freedom of expression and freedom of assembly.

Whilst the UAE declared that those activists who had been involved in calling for democratic reform were actually planning a coup against the government and to subvert the state, the UN Working Group declared that “expressing criticism of one’s county and its leaders and communication with other political actors in a peaceful way should not be categorized as an attempt to overthrow a Government”. Having been detained in this way meant that those activists had their rights to freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly and association limited by the authorities.

The Group went on to note that the activists that were detained without legal justification faced vague and imprecise charges. Indeed the charges were so vague that “they were aimed more at keeping the petitioners detained than at prosecuting crimes committed”. They also noted that the detainees did not face a fair trial, without the right to appeal and that there were no independent courts.

At the Human Rights Council in June 2015, the UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of lawyers and judges, Gabriela Knaul said that the Emirati authorities should be held accountable for the unfair trials and detentions of those prisoners.

Prisoners in the UAE have reported torture, solitary confinement, no access to family or lawyers, restricted access to food and medical attention to name just a few — and yet despite treatment like this, the UAE are hardly ever held to account.

The plight of prisoners in the UAE has been roundly ignored by many but yet the continued suffering and fear of detention is ever real. In May this year an Emirati citizen, Abdullah Ahmad al Wahdi was sentenced to 10 years in prison after he was accused of “insulting” the UAE leadership. His case was symptomatic of the increasing repression in the UAE and as a result he has found himself a prisoner for daring to tweet.

Some 40 years after the first International Prisoners Justice Day, in the UAE prisoners continue to suffer injustices and campaigners echo the UN’s calls that prisoners should be treated fairly and political prisoners should be released.

August 10th is International Prisoners Justice Day — the day originated in Canada but is now marked internationally