UAE top court upholds life terms for 24 convicted in mass trial
The supreme court in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has sentenced 24 people to life in prison after upholding their convictions for "terrorist" links, which had been dismissed following a mass trial criticised by human rights groups.
"The Criminal Chamber of the Federal Supreme Court ruled [on Thursday] to partially overturn the judgment issued by the State Security Chamber at the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal and to reconvict 24 defendants," the official Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported on Friday.
The 24 were originally convicted in a mass trial of 84 people in July last year - most of whom, according to human rights groups, had already been imprisoned since a similar mass trial of 94 individuals in 2013.
"Following yesterday's ruling... the total number of convicted individuals in this case has risen to 83 out of 84 referred to trial," WAM said. Sixty-seven of them have been sentenced to life imprisonment.
"The court sentenced the defendants to life imprisonment for collaborating with the 'Terrorist Justice and Dignity Organisation', and providing funds to the Al-Islah," WAM added, referring to a group with ties to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.
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Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the convictions were based on "a fundamentally unfair mass trial".
'The UAE's second-largest mass trial case has been justified under the guise of countering terrorism, but it's just part of the Emirati government's relentless efforts to prevent the re-emergence of any independent civil society in the country,' said Joey Shea, UAE researcher at HRW.
'Life in prison for nonviolent activism shows Abu Dhabi's utter contempt for both peaceful criticism and the rule of law.'
'UAE 94'
The 2013 trial of the so-called "UAE 94", held at the peak of the Arab uprisings, was widely criticised by rights groups as grossly unfair. Lawyers, professors, activists and students who had petitioned the government for democratic reforms were tried for plotting to overthrow it.
In March, the UAE rejected the appeals of 53 individuals who were convicted in the July 2024 trial.
UAE 'retaliates' against jailed activist Ahmed Mansoor for exposing abuses Read More »
The Abu Dhabi Federal Appeals Court overturned the convictions of the other 24 defendants, but the attorney general sought to reverse that decision, arguing it had been "legally flawed".
Prominent activist Ahmed Mansoor and academic Nasser bin Ghaith were among those tried last July, HRW said.
Bin Ghaith was sentenced to 10 years in 2017 over tweets criticising Egypt, a key ally of the Gulf state.
Authorities said he had published 'photos and articles that are offensive to the state's symbols and values, its internal and foreign policies and its relations with an Arab state', understood to refer to Egypt.
The UAE prohibits criticism of its rulers and any speech deemed likely to spark social unrest.
Emirati courts have convicted dozens of citizens and Egyptian expats of forming clandestine cells, including al-Islah.
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