On 26 September 2013, Mohamad Az, a Syrian national and a long-time resident of the United Arab Emirates was arrested while driving with his mother from Al Dhaid to Dubai by officers dressed in civilian clothes, who drove him blindfolded to his house and searched it without a warrant. Az was then detained in secret detention for four months during which time he was coerced into confessing his support to Ahrar Al Sham. Az had been commenting developments in his hometown in Syria since the beginning of the conflict.
On 30 May 2016, the State Security Chamber of the Supreme Court of the United Arab Emirates has acquitted Salim Alaradi and two co-accused after 642 days in detention. While the Security Chamber of the Supreme Court confirmed Alaradi's innocence, he was not allowed to leave the Court free, but was taken back to prison by the State Security forces.
Alkarama regrets that, despite several attempts to request the Emirati authorities to release him, Jordanian citizen Rami Shaher Abdel Jalil Al Mrayat is to serve his full sentence in the Al Wathba prison, in spite of the fact that he is being arbitrarily detained.
Jordanian journalist Taysir Hasan Mahmoud Salman was supposed to fly from the United Arab Emirates, where he currently lives, to Jordan on vacation on 3 December 2015; however, he was prevented from boarding his flight by the airport authorities.
On 13 December 2015, journalist Taysir Hasan Mahmoud Salman was arrested by police forces at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Abu Dhabi and taken to an unknown location. Almost two months later, he remains disappeared.
On 2 February 2016, Alkarama sent an urgent appeal to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on minority issues (SR Minority), Rita Izsák-Ndiaye, asking her to call upon the Emirati authorities not to deport two Chinese citizens from the Uyghur Muslim Community, who could face the death penalty back in their country.
The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) recently adopted Opinion No. 51/2015, which recognises the arbitrary character of the detentions of Salim Alaradi and four other Libyan citizens, and requests the Emirati authorities to release them immediately. Almost two months later, however, the five men remain detained.
Alkarama welcomes the selection, on 6 October 2015, of Emirati human rights defender Ahmed Mansoor as laureate of the 2015 Martin Ennals Award in recognition of his work providing credible and independent assessment of the human rights situation in the country.
On 15 September 2015, Alkarama requested the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) to issue an Opinion declaring the arbitrary character of Osama Al Najjar's detention.
