HRW denounces that the Emirates keeps 51 prisoners in jail who have already completed their sentences

13 Apr. (EUROPE PRESS) –

The NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) has denounced this Thursday that the United Arab Emirates has imprisoned 51 people who have already served the sentence to which they were sentenced, some a month ago and others more than four years ago.

In a statement, HRW explained that they are members of the ‘UAE94’ case, from 2013, “the massive and extremely unfair trial of 69 critics of the Government, whose sentences violated their rights to freedom of expression, association and freedom of expression.” assembly”.

“The UAE authorities should release them immediately and put an end to this decade-long process,” said Joey Shea, a researcher for the UAE for HRW, explaining that the country is justifying “measures against terrorism without sense” to keep them imprisoned.

Some of the prisoners, they have explained, completed their sentence in July 2019, but under a country’s anti-terror law it is possible to keep the defendant in the prison where they served their sentence as part of a counseling program.

At least one of the detainees, HRW denounces, has been informed that he will be brought before a judge to determine whether to extend his sentence –already completed–, while others do not have information about their own cases.

“By arbitrarily extending the unjust sentences of peaceful critics, taking advantage of absurd anti-terrorism justifications and failing due process, the Emirates shows its total disregard for the rule of law,” Shea added.