In the United Arab Emirates, the repression of political dissidents is a serious problem. This is despite the fact that the country has implemented a series of reforms in recent years with the aim of demonstrating a change in its traditions. In particular, the country is using the 2014 Counterterrorism Law as a weapon of political repression. Through this, the authorities are able to define any peaceful protest as an act of terrorism and apply severe punishments such as life imprisonment or the death penalty.
In addition to this, the way in which prisoners are then treated during their sentence and the conditions under which they are forced to live in the detention centres to which they are sent also raise great concern. The most famous of these is certainly the Al-Razeen prison. Located in the middle of the desert, 120 km from Abu Dhabi, this prison has become infamous as it houses most of the UAE’s political dissidents. These include those who took part in an unfair mass trial that has raised much criticism and concern. In this trial, 94 people, including political activists, students and academics, were convicted for merely peacefully demonstrating their dissent.
Besides them, there are also activists who were arrested several years ago. These include, for example, Nasser bin Gaith, who was arrested in August 2015 and arbitrarily detained until his first hearing in April 2016. The charge against him was that of organising actions with the ultimate aim of disrupting state order. Although the initial sentence was only 10 years, in 2024, Nasse bin Gaith was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Abu Dhabi Federal Court on charges of setting up a terrorist organisation in 2010. For this reason, to this day, bin Gaith is still in Al-Razeen prison.
As much as the government wants to make this detention centre look like a place where prisoners are protected and receive due treatment, the reality is quite different. The living conditions inside Al-Razeen are terrible, and prisoners are forced to endure constant abuse and violations of their rights. In addition to this, the staff working and running the prison are mostly foreigners. The latter have no knowledge of the Arabic language and, therefore, it is often difficult for prisoners to communicate with the guards.
A recent report presented by the Emirates Detainee Advocacy Centre brought to light all the abuses that prisoners suffer in Al-Razeen prison. According to the Centre, many of the prisoners are victims of double jeopardy. This is a serious violation of prisoners’ rights, because of it, many prisoners are tried again on the same charges for which they have already served time. However, these trials take place without any real justification and only prolong the arbitrary detention of these people.
In addition to this, the condition of some prisoners remains unknown as of July 2024. Since that time, in fact, many of them have been forced to live in conditions of enforced isolation and have also been denied any possibility of contacting their loved ones. Moreover, it is not only contact with the outside world that prisoners are forbidden, but also those with their legal representatives. Indeed, the authorities do not allow them to talk to prisoners and act on their behalf, thus increasing the vulnerability of those in prison.
Based on other testimonies, it also emerged that inside the prison, the authorities also use trotters to punish prisoners. The latter are often hit with electric sticks, whipped and tortured by having their nails and hair removed. According to the International Centre for Justice and Human Rights, they are also often chained up as a result of the torture they have to endure. In addition, the authorities sometimes change the times when prisoners are allowed to leave the prison, sending them outside during the afternoon hours when temperatures reach high and stifling levels.
What happens inside Al-Razeen prison, therefore, raises many concerns about the way the UAE violates the fundamental rights of detainees. In addition to this, it also raises many concerns about the repression that is taking place in the country against those who stand up for human rights and bring to light the constant abuses that take place within the country.
The United Arab Emirates wants to be seen as a country that is going through great changes and opening up to the world. More and more people are going to this country, either as tourists or to take up residence there. The truth, however, is that nothing is changing and that these reforms are just a façade hiding constant repression and terrible methods of silencing the opposition. What is happening in Al-Razeen prison is a clear example of this, and it is important to talk about it to hold the UAE’s government accountable and demonstrate its controversial propaganda.