The fate of Emirati activist Jassem bin Rashid Al-Shamsi remains unknown following his arrest in Syria on Thursday, November 6, 2025, at a checkpoint in the capital, Damascus. He was reportedly taken to a security facility without a judicial warrant or clear charges, and all contact with him has since been severed.
Lawyer Rachid Mesli, director of Alkarama, stated: “The arrest by the new Syrian government of an Emirati dissident known for his support of the Syrian people’s struggle against the crimes of the former regime could signal a lack of respect by the new authorities in Damascus for their obligations under international human rights law. Moreover, if they were to hand him over to a country where torture is systematically practiced, it would be an indelible stain and a great disappointment.” Me Mesli added that “Such actions risk undermining the new government’s efforts to build a state governed by the rule of law, and send negative signals about the extent to which the new Syria respects its international commitments on human rights and the treaties to which it is party.”
Mr. Al-Shamsi arrived in Syria with his Syrian wife and children before the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. He holds no nationality other than Emirati, which raises serious concerns that the new Syrian authorities might consider handing him over to his country of origin, a flagrant violation of Article 3 of the Convention against Torture, ratified by Syria.
That article states that “No State Party shall expel, return ("refouler") or extradite a person to another State where there are substantial grounds for believing that he would be in danger of being subjected to torture.”
A troubling record of torture in the UAE
It is widely acknowledged that the United Arab Emirates has a serious record of torture and ill-treatment. Alkarama and other human rights organizations have documented numerous cases, including those occurring outside the UAE’s borders. Abu Dhabi reportedly operates secret detention centers in several Arab countries, such as Yemen, where particularly cruel forms of torture have been exposed through videos and victims’ testimonies.
Serious concerns persist regarding possible Emirati pressure on the new Syrian government to obtain Mr. Al-Shamsi’s extradition, especially given previous abductions and renditions of Emirati dissidents abroad notably that of Khalaf Abdulrahman Al-Rumaithi, a Turkish citizen handed over to the UAE by Jordan, who has since disappeared.
After spending ten years in Turkey, Mr. Al-Shamsi moved to Syria with his wife and children. He is recognized as one of the most prominent Arab activists supporting the Syrian revolution that led to the downfall of the former regime.
According to Emirati human rights sources, Al-Shamsi is among the defendants in the political cases known as “UAE 94” and “Justice and Dignity”, and was sentenced first to 15 years in prison, then to life imprisonment, following trials marred by serious violations of the right to a fair trial.
Alkarama filed a complaint before the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention regarding this group of dissidents, which resulted in Opinion No. 60/2013, declaring their detention arbitrary and calling for their release as well as reparation for the harm caused by their detention and ill-treatment.
Alkarama’s activism
Regarding the Syrian situation, Alkarama has been involved since 2004 in numerous cases of forced returns of foreigners in violation of Article 3 of the Convention against Torture. Alkarama regularly contributes to the work of the Committee against Torture, which monitors States’ compliance with their obligations, and has submitted hundreds of individual complaints concerning enforced disappearances in Syria, which are considered a form of torture.
In this context, Alkarama recalls the recommendations issued by the Committee against Torture during its 44th session in May 2010, which remain valid and inseparable from Syria’s international obligations, regardless of the governing authorities.
The Committee said it was seriously concerned “by the numerous reports of expulsion, return or deportation, including several cases concerning recognized refugees or asylum-seekers registered with UNHCR, in violation of the non-refoulement principle contained in article 3 of the Convention.”
The Committee expressed further concern about “reports that the participation of the Syrian Arab Republic in the so-called “war on terror” has resulted in secret detentions and renditions of terrorism suspects, in breach of the principle of non-refoulement (art. 3).”
In its concluding observations, the Committee stressed that the State Party must ensure full compliance “with article 3 of the Convention, including guaranteed fair treatment at all stages of the proceedings and an opportunity for effective, independent and impartial review of decisions on expulsion, return or extradition. Under no circumstances should the State party expel, return or extradite a person to a State where there are substantial grounds for believing that he would be in danger of being subjected to torture or ill-treatment.”
The Committee also recommended that the State Party “ensure protection from refoulement, including by refraining from expelling or forcibly returning persons who hold a UNHCR Refugee Certificate or Asylum Seeker Certificate. Furthermore, the State party should establish an independent investigation to follow up on allegations of its involvement in “extraordinary renditions” and inform the Committee of the outcome of such investigation in its next periodic report.”
Alkarama also recalls the concluding observations of the Committee against Torture following its special review on Syria, published on June 1, 2012, in which the Committee expressly requested that the Syrian Arab Republic submit a special follow-up report on the measures taken to implement the recommendations by August 31, 2012. The former regime failed to do so, prompting Alkarama to contribute to the review with an alternative report on systematic and widespread torture in Syria, as well as to participate in the NGO briefing session preceding the review.
Finally, in its report to the Human Rights Council during the second Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on March 24, 2016, Alkarama denounced the widespread and systematic use of torture in all detention centers under the control of the regime and its allied forces, fueled by a climate of impunity, a finding that Alkarama reiterates today in light of the new authorities in Syria.