Against criticisms from human rights groups, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has today demanded maximum penalty against 84 persons that were charged with terrorism.
In a trial which was held on Sunday, February 18, 2024, the Emirates made known their demand for “maximum sentence” against the offenders. The trial was however adjourned until March 7, preparing ground for the defence to present its own case.
According to Channels TV reports, the human rights activists and government critics among the members of the defence had faced convictions over ten years ago on charges which were the same with this, and many of them had ‘completed or were about to complete their sentences.’
The United Arab Emirates authorities charged the defendants with the crime of staging a “terrorist” organisation which is named the “Committee for Justice and Dignity”. Their major purpose, according to the UAE government, was to incite the people to protest, thus provoking ‘a “violent revolution” in the wake of the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings across the Middle East.’
During that period, even with similar criticisms from the human rights groups, it was revealed that ’69 Emirati opposition figures were convicted for alleged links to the Muslim Brotherhood — considered a terrorist organisation by the UAE (United Arab Emirates).’
In a contrasting response made in this January over the trial of the 84 accused terrorists, Amnesty International said their prosecution “flagrantly violates the defendants’ fair trial rights and disregards fundamental legal principle by re-trying some defendants for the same charges they were convicted of a decade ago.”
Amnesty continued to say that there had been “multiple gross violations” of the defendants’ right to a fair trial.
Aya Majzoub, Amnesty’s deputy regional director, stated:
“In one case, at a hearing on 11 January, the authorities handed a prosecution witness a piece of paper which they proceeded to read from to answer the judge’s questions. This is a grotesque parody of justice.”
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Human Rights Watch has also denounced the trial. In December, the New York-based group said: “Levelling new charges based on peaceful advocacy over a decade ago seems nothing more than a shameless pretext to keep these men behind bars.”
More reports will be shared in the wake of the next trial in March 7, next month of this same year.
