Amnesty International Report 2017/18

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Amnesty International Report 2017/18

amount to torture and failed to investigate 

allegations of torture made in previous 

years. Women continued to face 

discrimination in law and in practice. 

Migrant workers remained vulnerable to 

exploitation and abuse. Courts continued to 

hand down death sentences; there was one 

execution.

BACKGROUND

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) remained 

part of the Saudi Arabia-led international 

coalition engaged in armed conflict in Yemen. 

Along with Saudi Arabia, the UAE trained, 

funded and supported forces in Yemen, 

some of which were under its direct report. 

These forces engaged in arbitrary and illegal 

detention practices, including in Aden where 

they perpetrated a campaign of arbitrary 

detention and enforced disappearances (see 

Yemen entry). The UAE joined Saudi Arabia, 

Bahrain and Egypt in severing ties with Qatar 

(see Qatar entry).

In September, the UN CERD Committee 

reiterated its call on the UAE to establish a 

national human rights institution, in line with 

the Paris Principles. The authorities rejected 

or took no action on statements and 

recommendations from UN human rights 

bodies, including those issued jointly by 

special procedures, the High Commissioner 

for Human Rights and the Working Group on 

Arbitrary Detention.

In June, a Belgian court convicted in their 

absence eight women from Abu Dhabi’s 

ruling Al Nahyan family of trafficking in 

persons and of the degrading treatment of up 

to 23 women domestic workers.

FREEDOMS OF EXPRESSION AND 

ASSOCIATION

Authorities continued to arbitrarily restrict 

freedoms of expression and association, 

using the Penal Code and anti-terrorism and 

cybercrime laws that criminalized peaceful 

criticism of state policies or officials. At least 

13 people were arrested or tried on such 

grounds. In Dubai, two men were arrested for 

“dressing in a feminine way”, in violation of 

their right to freedom of expression.

In March, the government announced the 

creation of the Federal Public Prosecution for 

Information Technology Crimes, whose 

mandate to investigate and prosecute crimes 

included peaceful expression. In August, 

authorities in Dubai imposed a one-month 

suspension of the news website Arabian 

Business for publication of “false 

information” regarding unsuccessful real 

estate projects.

Also in March, leading human rights 

defender Ahmed Mansoor was arrested. He 

had had no access to a lawyer by the end of 

the year. He was held in solitary confinement 

and, except for two family visits, in 

incommunicado detention, in violation of the 

prohibition of torture and other ill-treatment.

Also in March, the Federal Appeal Court in 

the capital, Abu Dhabi, upheld the 10-year 

prison sentence of Dr Nasser Bin Ghaith, a 

prisoner of conscience. He was arbitrarily 

detained in 2015 and stated during his trial 

that he had been tortured. In April, he went 

on hunger strike to protest against not being 

permitted to see the verdict of the appeal 

court or meet with his lawyer.

In June, UAE’s Attorney General announced 

that anyone expressing sympathy with Qatar 

could face up to 15 years’ imprisonment and 

fines. In July, Ghanim Abdallah Matar was 

detained for a video he posted online in 

which he expressed sympathy towards the 

people of Qatar.

The Federal Supreme Court upheld the 

three years’ imprisonment, a fine of 

Dh500,000 (USD136,135) and deportation 

sentence against Jordanian journalist and 

prisoner of conscience Tayseer al-Najjar. He 

had been detained since December 2015 for 

Facebook posts deemed “damaging [to] the 

reputation and prestige of the Emirati state”.

Human rights defender and prisoner of 

conscience Dr Mohammad al-Roken 

remained in prison, serving a 10-year 

sentence imposed after an unfair mass trial 

in 2013 (known as the “UAE 94” trial). In 

May, he was awarded the Ludovic Trarieux 

International Human Rights Prize.

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TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT

Reports of torture and other ill-treatment, 

including denial of medical care to detainees, 

remained common. No independent 

investigations were carried out into detainees’ 

allegations of torture.

In May, detainees in al-Razeen Prison in 

Abu Dhabi, including Imran al-Radwan, 

undertook a hunger strike to protest against 

enforced strip searches, alleged sexual 

harassment and other ill-treatment by prison 

guards.

JUSTICE SYSTEM

The authorities refused to release at least five 

prisoners on completion of their sentence, 

including Osama al-Najjar, a prisoner of 

conscience arrested in 2014. Prison 

authorities at al-Razeen Prison, where those 

convicted in the UAE 94 case were detained, 

routinely harassed family members and 

prevented them from visiting their imprisoned 

relatives.

WOMEN’S RIGHTS

Women remained subject to discrimination in 

law and in practice, notably in matters of 

marriage and divorce, inheritance and child 

custody. They were inadequately protected 

against sexual violence and violence within 

the family.

WORKER’S RIGHTS – MIGRANT 

WORKERS

Migrant workers, who comprised the vast 

majority of the private workforce, continued 

to face exploitation and abuse. They 

remained tied to employers under the kafala

sponsorship system and were denied 

collective bargaining rights. Trade unions 

remained banned and migrant workers who 

engaged in strike action faced deportation 

and a one-year ban on returning to the UAE.

In September, Federal Law No.10 of 2017 

came into effect, limiting working hours and 

providing for weekly leave and 30 days’ paid 

annual leave as well as the right to retain 

personal documents. The law appeared to 

enable employees to end their contract of 

employment if the employer violated any of 

its terms, and stipulated that disputes would 

be adjudicated by specialized tribunals as 

well as by courts. However, workers remained 

vulnerable to employers accusing them of 

overly broad and vague crimes such as 

“failing to protect their employer’s secrets”, 

which carry fines of up to Dh100,000 

(USD27,225) or a six-month prison sentence.

In September the UN CERD Committee 

expressed concern over the lack of 

monitoring and enforcement of measures to 

protect migrant workers, and over barriers 

faced by migrant workers in accessing 

justice, such as their unwillingness to submit 

complaints for fear of adverse repercussions.

DEATH PENALTY

Courts handed down death sentences; one 

execution was carried out on 23 November.

UNITED KINGDOM

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II

Head of government: Theresa May

Women in Northern Ireland continued to 

face significant restrictions on access to 

abortion. Counter-terrorism laws continued 

to restrict rights. Full accountability for 

torture allegations against UK intelligence 

agencies and armed forces remained 

unrealized.

LEGAL, CONSTITUTIONAL OR 

INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENTS

In March, the Prime Minister triggered Article 

50 of the Treaty on the European Union, 

officially starting the withdrawal by the UK 

from the EU (Brexit). In July, the EU 

(Withdrawal) Bill received its first reading in 

the House of Commons. The Bill threatened 

to significantly reduce existing human rights 

protections. It excluded both the EU Charter 

of Fundamental Rights (in its entirety) and 

the right of action for violations of EU General 

Principles from domestic law after the UK’s 

withdrawal. It also handed sweeping powers 

to ministers to alter legislation without 

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