In the United Arab Emirates, people are not allowed to speak freely. They also do not have any permission to express their opinion. Anyone who does not follow this law and disagrees with the government faces severe punishment from the organizations. They are making arrests, summoning people, and sending them away, not letting them speak freely. With the passage of time all of this behavior from the government becomes worse.
In 2020, Israel and the UAE became partners. At that time, the UAE blocked criticism of this partnership. Furthermore, UAE authorities also remained silent when Israel attacked Gaza in 2023. Many Plaestinias died in this attack but UAE’s citizens were not allowed to raise their voice in favor of Palestine.
The UAE government arrested all those who criticize the Israel actions and support Palestine. Recently many people get arrested just because they posted on different social media platforms against Israel. Also these posts speak against the government decision to normalize relations with Tel Aviv.
According to the government these people create instability by posting on social media platforms. They show favoritism to Palestinians and raise their voice to boycott Israeli products.
One person who belongs to Palestine and works in Dubai on a contract basis. Once K.H. was shared on a facebook post on April 10, 2024 that criticized the Israel action in Gaza. As a result the UAE’s government called him for questioning.
During this conversation he spoke in favor of Palestine so the government held him in detention for 3 days. After 3 days the government told him to leave the country without showing any objection.
Furthermore, an Egyptian citizen who remains anonymous due to safety reasons also shared a post on social media platforms. This post criticizes Arab and Islamic inaction during Ramadan’s famine crisis in Gaza. He also called for an end to any normalization with Israel. Due to this action UAE’s security officials called him for questioning on March 25.
After questioning he was informed that he is jobless now and should leave the country within 48 hours. The security officials did not allow him to seek help and challenge the decision.
So UAE is the nation that forcefully detained the foreigners, torturing them and sometimes subjected them to physical and psychological torture before deporting them on false charges.
Students also reported that they get warnings from the UAE authorities against protesting Israel.
Recently, authorities summoned university professors, community leaders, and social media activists to state security headquarters to warn them against organizing pro-Gaza events or expressing opposition to Israel openly.
The activist Mansour Al-Ahmadi got arrested by the United Arab Emirates government. This action of the government officials is worrying. He heads the Al-Quds Youth Committee. Mansour was arrested without any reason and also not allowed to use its legal rights. It is not the first time that this person faces such harsh behavior from the government.
He previously had been jailed for many years. It clearly highlights that the UAE has a very poor human rights record including arrest without any reason. The government also does not allow the people to express their opinion. The government imposes restrictions on free speech and criticized all those who opposed the government decision.
During the COP28 conference, they even retried dozens who had served their sentences, raising concerns about their commitment to rights and justice.
Emirati authorities stated on January 6, 2024, that 84 activists were accused of running a secret terrorist group called the Dignity and Justice Committee. They referred to a law from 2014 that can punish those who start, organize, or oversee such groups with life imprisonment or the death penalty.
The trial is happening in secret, behind closed doors, which violates the rights to a fair trial and public trials, according to the Emirates Detainees Advocacy Centre (EDAC). UAE officials have barred both local and international media from covering the trial and kept the accused isolated in undisclosed prisons for more than 10 months, allegedly pressuring them to admit to terrorist acts.
So, the UAE is the nation that puts people in jail who speak freely against the government. No matter who they are, people get punished by the government authorities without any reason.
It is good for the UAE to stop punishing people and foreigners. Human rights groups must visit the jail to get knowledge about how prisoners are treated. Everyone has the right to speak freely and openly express their opinion. Also the nation got rid of laws like the 2014 Anti-Terrorism Law that go against human rights.