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UAE: Expunge activists’ convictionsposted on: 2011/11/30

Joint statement issued by Alkarama (Dignity), Amnesty International, the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), Front Line Defenders, the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR), Human Rights Watch, and Index on Censorship.

UAE: Trial Observer Finds Flagrant Due Process Flaws in UAE 5 Caseposted on: 2011/11/02

The Federal Supreme Court trial of five Emirati activists accused of “publicly insulting” top United Arab Emirates officials in an internet forum has been grossly unfair, and the case against them has no basis in international law as it violates their freedom of expression, a trial observer appointed by a coalition of international human rights organizations said today.

UAE: Trial of activists fundamentally unfair, say leading international human rights organisationsposted on: 2011/10/10

Front Line Defenders, the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch condemn the trial of five activists for "publicly insulting" the president of the United Arab Emirates as fundamentally flawed and unfair.

UAE: Front Line Defenders and other three human rights organisations call for the release of activistsposted on: 2011/09/22

September 24, 2011, Front Line Defenders and other three international human rights organisations Amnesty International, the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), and Human Rights Watch issued a joint statement to call for the release of the five activists.

UAE: Front Line Defenders and other three human rights organisations call for the release of activistsposted on: 2011/09/21

September 24, 2011, Front Line Defenders and other three international human rights organisations Amnesty International, the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), and Human Rights Watch issued a joint statement to call for the release of the five activists.

Full Text of the Statement

(Dubai, September 22, 2011) – Emirati authorities should immediately drop all charges against five activists imprisoned after calling for greater political rights and freedoms and free them ahead of national elections on September 24, 2011, four international human rights organisations said today.

UAE security agency engages in dirty tricks on Facebook posted on: 2011/08/20

Front Line would like to clarify that it has no any connection with the Facebook page that is called Lena Khalid which has the following URL:

facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002421722880

Front Line stresses the fact that the owner of this page is not authorized to represent or speak on behalf of our organization.

Front Line condemns the attempt by a male individual to impersonate the identity of a Front Line member of staff, by creating a false Facebook page with a female name "Lena Khalid" . This man has been trying to lure human rights defenders to talk with him, in order to publish fabricated statements that are against the government of UAE on his Web Site (www.emarati001.com).

UAE: UPDATE - Trial of five human rights defenders continuesposted on: 2011/07/27

On 25 July 2011, the third session of the trial of human rights defenders, Dr. Nasser Bin Ghaith, and Messrs Ahmed Mansour, Fahad Salim Dalk Al-Shehhi, Ahmed Abdulkhaleq and Hassan Ali Hassan Al-Khamis, was held before the Federal Supreme Court in Abu Dhabi.

Further Information

The hearing was held in private however it is believed that two of the eight witnesses for the prosecution provided testimonies before the court and were examined by the prosecution's legal team. The lawyers of the aforementioned human rights defenders were present in court.

The trial was adjourned until 26 September 2011 when more witnesses will be brought before the court.

See here the previous item on this case

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UAE: End Trial of Activists Charged with Insulting Officialsposted on: 2011/07/21

UAE authorities should drop charges against five human rights defenders and pro-democracy activists arrested after they called for democratic reforms, four international human rights organizations said today. The call comes as the activists’ trial for “publicly insulting” the UAE president and other top officials re-opens on 18 July in Abu Dhabi's Federal Supreme Court, against the backdrop of a wider clampdown on dissent in the UAE. The four rights groups - Amnesty International, the Arabic Network For Human Rights Information (ANHRI), Front Line Defenders and Human Rights Watch - jointly called on the UAE authorities to abandon the trial and release the men immediately.

Further Information

In the UAE, the penal code allows the government to jail people simply for expressing their peaceful views, in contravention of clear international human rights guarantees of free speech.

"The UAE government is using defamation as a pretext to prosecute activists for peacefully expressing their beliefs about the way their country should be run," said Philip Luther, Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa Deputy Director.

UAE: UPDATE - Dissolution of elected board of directors of the Teachers' Associationposted on: 2011/05/05

Front Line is concerned about the continued attack by the UAE authorities on the right to freedom of association in the country and the targeting of professional associations in particular. On 2 May the Minister of Social Affairs Mrs Maryam Al-Roumi issued a ministerial resolution dissolving the elected board of directors of the Teachers' Association. The resolution stipulated the appointment of an interim board of directors for a period of six months under the directorship of Mr Hussein Musbeh Al-Ka'abi, the current Director of Education for Al-Shariqa area.

UAE: UPDATE - Arrest and detention of Human Rights Defendersposted on: 2011/04/28

Front Line expresses concern at the arrest of four more bloggers in the UAE following the arrest earlier this month of human rights defender Ahmad Mansour who was featured in a previous Front Line appeal of 12th April.

Further Information

Between 22 and 25 April bloggers Messers Fahd Salim Dalk, Hasan Ali Al-Khmis, and Ahmad Abd Al-Khaliq were arrested. Mr Nasser bin Ghaith was arrested on 10 April. Ahmad Mansour and the other bloggers are being held according to a statement made on 25 April by the UAE Attorney General in connection with “investigation of committing crimes of instigation, breaking laws and perpetrating acts that pose threats to state security, undermining the public order, opposing the government system, and insulting the President, the Vice President and the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi”.