Yemeni businessman Abdullah Ali Abdulhafidh ABDELWAHAB remains detained at Abu Dhabi’s federal prison, known as Al-Sadr, in conditions that contravene international human rights standards. His contact with his family is extremely limited: when he is allowed to make a phone call, it never lasts more than one minute, deepening the anguish and distress of his relatives.
In March 2025, Alkarama submitted a communication to the United Nations Special Procedures, stressing that the arrest and detention of Mr. ABDELWAHAB have no legal basis.
Case Background
On 19 October 2022, Mr. ABDELWAHAB was arrested in Sharjah by the Emirati State Security services, without a warrant or any official explanation. It was only two weeks later that his family received a first brief call from him, revealing that he was being held in Abu Dhabi. Since then, he has been denied the right to legal assistance and kept in near-total isolation.
According to credible sources, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison for peaceful Facebook posts dating back to 2019, in which he criticized the United Arab Emirates’ airstrikes in Yemen. Although these messages clearly fall within the legitimate exercise of freedom of expression as protected under international law, they were used as grounds for a harsh and arbitrary sentence.
In addition to being denied family visits, Mr. ABDELWAHAB is subjected to particularly harsh detention conditions. In March 2025, he began a hunger strike to protest his unjust imprisonment and sentence, highlighting the seriousness of his physical and psychological condition.
Mr. ABDELWAHAB’s case is part of a broader policy of repression carried out by the Emirati authorities, who resort to restrictive law such as the Cybercrime Law to criminalize any criticism deemed harmful to the State or its image, leading to the imprisonment of many individuals for peacefully expressing their opinions on social media.
Alkarama’s Action
On 11 March 2025, Alkarama filed a complaint with the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD), asserting that the arrest, detention and conviction of Mr. ABDELWAHAB constitute acts of reprisal for the peaceful exercise of his right to freedom of opinion and expression.
Alkarama calls on the United Nations and the international community to exert strong pressure on the Emirati authorities to secure the immediate and unconditional release of Mr. ABDELWAHAB and to ensure respect for his fundamental rights, including regular communication with his family, access to effective legal assistance, and adequate medical care.