We welcome the important recommendations from the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to guarantee the rights to freedom of expression and association in the UAE. We regret that, despite repeated assurances by the UAE, violations of the rights to free expression and association continue without accountability or reform.
Emirati authorities have conducted a sustained assault on human rights and freedoms through enacting repressive laws and policies and unlawfully detaining human rights defenders following unfair trials, including renowned human rights defender Ahmed Mansoor and Emiratis detained following the UAE94 mass trial, leading to the complete closure of civic space. The UAE’s crackdown on free expression extends also to non-Emiratis in the UAE. The severe restrictions on civic space in the UAE risk hindering the meaningful participation of key actors in the 28th UN Climate Conference, hosted by the UAE from November 30 to December 12, 2023.
We welcome Costa Rica’s recommendation to the UAE to “guarantee unreserved freedom of expression, assembly and association in all spaces, for all people and ensure that activists, lawyers, journalists and academics can operate without fear of reprisals, including by repealing or reforming the law on combating rumors and cybercrimes, and articles of the penal code, and allowing broad civil society participation in COP28.”
The UAE deploys advanced surveillance technologies online and offline to monitor public spaces, internet activity, and individuals’ phones and computers. Authorities use Federal Law no.34 of 2021 on Combatting Rumors and Cybercrime, to silence criticism of Emirati rulers and government, and other topics authorities deem sensitive. The UAE has used NSO’s notorious Pegasus spyware to target the devices of human rights defenders, including Ahmed Mansoor.
The Saudi and UAE-led coalition continues its military campaign against the Houthi rebels in Yemen, which has included unlawful airstrikes that killed and wounded thousands of civilians and destroyed critical civilian infrastructure, without accountability or meaningful reparations.
We urge the UAE to allow international human rights organizations and UN experts to conduct independent in-country research and visit prisoners in Emirati detention facilities, especially Ahmed Mansoor.
