UAE: Life Sentences for 24 Defendants in the ‘Justice and Dignity' Case
The court also ordered the confiscation of funds and tools seized in connection with both crimes.
The court delivered its decision during a session held on Thursday, June 26, following the partial acceptance of an appeal filed by the Attorney General, Counselor Dr. Hamad Al Shamsi. The appeal contested the ruling of the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal – State Security Chamber, which had dismissed the criminal case on the grounds that the defendants had already been tried in the matter.
In his appeal, the Attorney General argued that the contested ruling was flawed, as it failed to recognize the distinct nature of the crimes of financing and collaborating with the terrorist organization as stipulated under Federal Law No. (1) of 2004. He noted that these charges had not been included in the earlier 2012 case, in which the defendants were convicted solely of establishing and managing the 'Al Islah Organization,' in accordance with the Penal Code.
In its reasoning, the Federal Supreme Court emphasized that the acts attributed to the defendants in the current case are different from those previously adjudicated. The court stated that they cannot be considered a single act under multiple legal descriptions, as the cause and subject of each are separate. It underlined that the criminal conduct at the heart of the new charges is distinct and carries a harsher penalty prescribed by law, thereby justifying a retrial on these offenses.
As a result of this ruling, the number of convicted individuals in what is regarded as one of the country's largest national security cases has risen to 83 out of 84 defendants referred to trial.
According to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), the State Security Chamber of the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal had previously convicted 53 defendants, who were leaders and members of the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood organization, along with six affiliated companies. Sentences in that judgment ranged from life imprisonment to temporary prison terms, as well as fines of up to 20 million dirhams. One defendant was acquitted.
WAM confirmed that this ruling reflects the UAE's approach in confronting terrorist organizations and their financing, underscoring the independence of the judiciary and its strict application of the law in matters that threaten the security and stability of the state.
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