Beirut, 23 May, 2012 — The Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) has received information that human rights defender, Ahmed Abdulkhaleq Ahmed, has been arrested and detained. Ahmed Abdulkhaleq Ahmed belongs to the Bedoon  (Stateless) community and is one of the “UAE 5” who was arrested in 2011 for “publicly insulting” the United Arab Emirates president and other top officials. The five were found guilty in November 2011, following a grossly unfair trial. They were pardoned and released a day after their conviction having spent eight months in prison.  He has reportedly been quiet in his human rights activities in recent times and deleted his twitter account.

On 22 May 2012, the Immigration Department of Ajman asked the human rights defender’s father to present himself at the Department in order to complete some paperwork. When he arrived at the Department he was questioned as to who was at home. When he replied that his wife and his son were there the authorities asked him to ask them to come to the Department.  He was also accused by a police officer of being in violation of immigration law despite telling the police officer that he and his family had done everything which they had been asked to do by the authorities including registering as Bedoon and obtaining a Bedoon card.

When Ahmed Abdulkhaleq Ahmed and his mother arrived at the Department, the authorities took Ahmed Abdulkaleq Ahmed to a different location. When his father asked where he was being taken the authorities said that they had some procedural matters to finish and that he would then be sent back once these matters had been completed. They told his father not to worry and gave him the key of the car and asked him and his wife to leave.

There has been no contact since then with the authorities and it is believed that Ahmed Abdulkhaleq Ahmed has been arrested and is being detained by the State Security in an undisclosed location. There are concerns that he may be transferred to Abu Dhabi to the State Security or that he has been sent to Al Sadar jail for deportation.

The arrest comes in the context of a crackdown against human rights defenders in the UAE and just days after the human rights defender and his family received passports of Qomoros Islands following a directive by the Government that all the Bedoon had to obtain a nationality from Qomoros or elsewhere. There was an agreement in place between UAE and Qomoros for Economic Citizenship and as a result the majority of the stateless citizens obtained passports of Qomoros Islands.

The GCHR expresses concern over the arrest and on-going detention of Ahmed Abdulkhaleq Ahmed, which it believes, is directly related to his human rights activities in the past. Concern is specifically expressed concerning his physical and psychological security and integrity particularly as his whereabouts remain unknown.

The Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) urges the authorities in the UAE to:

1. Immediately and unconditionally release Ahmed Abdulkhaleq Ahmed as GCHR believes that he has been detained solely as a result of his legitimate human rights work;
2. Take all necessary measures to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity and security of Ahmed Abdulkhaleq Ahmed;
3. Guarantee in all circumstances that all human rights defenders in the UAE are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisals and free of all restrictions including judicial harassment.

GCHR respectfully reminds you that the United Nations Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, adopted by consensus by the UN General Assembly on 9 December 1998, recognises the legitimacy of the activities of human rights defenders, their right to freedom of association and to carry out their activities without fear of reprisals. We would particularly draw your attention to Article 5 (b) which states that: “For the purpose of promoting and protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms, everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, at the national and international levels: (b) To form, join and participate in non-governmental organizations, associations or groups;” and to Article 12.2, which provides that “the State shall take all necessary measures to ensure the protection by the competent authorities of everyone, individually and in association with others, against any violence, threats, retaliation, de facto or de jure adverse discrimination, pressure or any other arbitrary action as a consequence of his or her legitimate exercise of the rights referred to in the present Declaration.

Please write immediately in English or in Arabic:

• To express your concern about the  arrest of human rights defender Ahmed Abdulkhaleq Ahmed and the total silence of the authorities toward these serious violations;

• To express your concern and refusal to the severe suppression of the legitimate rights such as freedom of expression, assembly, and association by the UAE authorities of its citizens, in particular the activists.

Please Send Appeals now to:

Vice-President and Prime Minister

H.H. Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum

Office of the Prime Minister

POB 2838

Dubai,

UAE

Fax: +971 4 3531974

E-mail: info@primeministre.ae

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior

H.H. Sheikh Saif Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan

POB 398

Abu Dhabi

UAE

Fax: +971 2 4414938

Minister of Foreign Affairs

H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahya

POB 1

Abu Dhabi

UAE

Fax: +971 2 4447766

Minister of Justice

His Excellency Dr. Hadef Jawa’an Al Dhaheri

POB 753

Abu Dhabi

UAE

Email: moj@uae.gov.ae

Fax: +971 2 681 5155

The Gulf Centre for Human Rights is an independent centre and has been registered in Ireland. The Centre works to strengthen support for human rights defenders and independent journalists in Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.