Advocacy / United Arab Emirates
UAE: Call for the release of Amina al-Abdouli and Maryam al-Balushi on International Women’s Day
On International Women’s Day, MENA Rights Group joined NGOs in calling on the release of Amina al-Abdouli and Maryam al-Balushi, who have been detained arbitrarily in the UAE since 2015.
Human rights NGOs call on the UAE to immediately repeal or amend its new Law on Combatting Rumours and Cybercrime
On January 2, 2022, the UAE’s new Law on Combatting Rumours and Cybercrime went into effect, replacing the Emirates’ former 2012 Law on Combatting Cybercrime. The new Law, however, further restricts free speech in the UAE and criminalises and imposes heavy prison sentences on acts that are protected under international law. In a joint statement providing a legal analysis of this new text, MENA Rights Group and 14 human rights organisations call on the UAE to immediately repeal or sufficiently amend the law.
Don’t sportswash human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia and the UAE: NGOs write to Formula One CEO ahead of Grand Prix
In a joint letter, 16 human rights organisations call on the CEO of Formula One Group to end sportswashing ahead of the Grand Prix that will take place in Saudi Arabia and the UAE in December 2021 and, instead, to use this event as a platform to highlight human rights violations perpetrated by these regimes.
Rights-based organisations express their "deepest concern" over the election of the UAE's Ahmed Al Raisi as president of INTERPOL
On Monday November 29, 2021, a coalition of 15 rights-based organisations sent a joint-letter to INTERPOL's Secretary General, Mr Jürgen Stock, expressing their "deepest concern over the election of Mr Ahmed Al Raisi, the General Inspector of the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) Ministry of Interior, to the presidency of INTERPOL" during the INTERPOL's 89th General Assembly last week.
45 Members of the European Parliament express concerns over UAE candidate for presidency of INTERPOL
On November 19, 2021, a group of 45 MEPs signed a joint letter to EU High Representative Josep Borrell, sponsored by MEP Ernest Urtasun under the joint initiative of two NGOs, the European Centre for Human Rights (ECDHR) and MENA Rights Group, expressing concern over the potential appointment of Emirati General Major Ahmed Nasser Al Raisi to the presidency of the International Criminal Police Organisation
PR firm hired to promote Al Raisi’s candidacy to INTERPOL presidency should end relationship with UAE government, NGOs say
Following reports that Project Associates, an advisory firm based in the U.K., was hired to promote the candidacy of Emirati official Ahmed Al Raisi to the presidency of INTERPOL, MENA Rights Group and 10 NGOs urged the company to terminate their relationship with the UAE government and Al Raisi. NGOs recalled the poor human rights record of the UAE, the continued abuses perpetrated by state security forces under Al Raisi’s leadership, and the multiple allegations of torture filed against him in France and the U.K.
Join the Alternative Human Rights Expo!
From 1st October 2021 to March 2022, the UAE is hosting the Dubai Expo, the first World Expo to be held in the Arab World. The event will explore the issues of sustainability, mobility and opportunity. The country claims that “when the world comes together, we create a better tomorrow”.
Appeal for UAE to release detained human rights activists ahead of Dubai Expo
In a joint letter to Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, more than 80 organisations appealed to the president of the Emirates to release all imprisoned human rights defenders and activists ahead of the UAE's Dubai Expo.
CNN: Reveal relationship with UAE monarchy and report on UAE’s violations of women’s rights during Dubai Expo coverage
A coalition of eight rights-based organisations is calling on CNN, an official broadcaster of the Dubai Expo2020, to reveal all financial and contractual terms of its relationship with the UAE monarchy, "Dubai Expo2020," and of their “Dubai Now” promotional content. In their letter, the coalition also calls on CNN to commit to reporting on the UAE’s terrible human rights violations and their use of events like the “Expo 2020 Dubai” for propaganda purposes. If CNN is unable to meet the aforementioned requests, the coalition calls on CNN to immediately withdraw as an official broadcaster for the UAE Dubai Expo
Joint statement condemning the inclusion of four Emirati activists and members of the UAE 94 on the UAE terrorism list
In a joint statement with nine other organisations, MENA Rights Group condemns the inclusion of four Emirati activists and members of the UAE 94 on the UAE terrorism list. In their statement, the undersigned organisations call on the UAE to immediately and unconditionally remove the activists' names from the terrorism list and to immediately and unconditionally release all of those who have been unjustly and arbitrarily detained as part of the UAE 94 trial.