UAE authorities arrests the Human Rights defender Ahmed Mansour
The Arab Program for Human Rights Activists follows with deep concern the reported arrest of the Human Rights defender Ahmed Mansour by the UAE authorities on Sunday 19 March 2017.
After Mansour was subjected to security investigations on March 20, the prosecution of cyber information crimes ordered the imprisonment of Mansour on remand on charges of using social networking sites to disseminate false information, rumors and false news, and to propagate malicious ideas that would incite strife, sectarianism, hatred and damage to national unity, which would damage the reputation and prestige of the State and incite others to refrain from following their laws.
The Arab Program for Human Rights Activists fears that the reason for the arrest may be attributed to a letter which Mansour and a group of human rights defenders sent to Arab governments asking them to respect the freedom of opinion and expression and the release of prisoners of conscience in the Arab world. This letter has been presented before the Arab League summit to be held later this month.
The Arab Program reminds the UAE government of the text of the Constitution of the United Arab Emirates, which guaranteed in Article 26 the freedom of opinion and expression
“Personal freedom is guaranteed to all citizens. No one shall be arrested, inspected, detained or imprisoned except in accordance with the provisions of the law. No one shall be subjected to torture or degrading treatment.”
It is worth mentioning that this is not the first time Mansour gets arrested for his legitimate work in the field of human rights by the government of the United Arab Emirates. In 2011, Mansour was arrested by security forces along with four other activists after they submitted to the government a petition for legislative reform. The Federal Supreme Court has condemned the five activists for insulting the country’s leadership and threatening national security and sentenced them to prison terms of two to three years. The next day, the five men received amnesty from the ruler of the UAE.
In 2015, Mansour won the Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders. The award is given to human rights defenders who have demonstrated a strong commitment to promote human rights, despite the great risks they may face.
The Arab Program for Human Rights Activists calls on the UAE authorities to respect the Constitution of the International bill of Human Rights and to immediately and unconditionally release human rights defender Ahmed Mansour and enable him promptly to contact his family and lawyer, ensure his safety and ensure that he won’t be subjected to any kind of torture.
