Emirates Detainees Advocacy Centre (EDAC)

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🟧 On the International Day for the Right to the Truth, the Emirates Detainees Advocacy Centre Calls for the Disclosure of the Fate of Activist Jasim Al Shamsi On the occasion of the International Day for the Right to the Truth, the Emirates Detainees Advocacy Centre (EDAC) renews its urgent call to reveal the fate of Emirati activist Jasim Rashid Al Shamsi, who has been forcibly disappeared since his arrest on 6 November 2025. EDAC expresses deep concern over Al Shamsi’s complete isolation from the outside world for more than three months, and the denial of his wife, Raghda Kiwan, and his family to obtain any information regarding his whereabouts or conditions of detention, which raises serious fears for his safety and the risk of ill-treatment. EDAC emphasises the following: • Enforced disappearance is a continuing crime: Concealing Al Shamsi’s fate constitutes a grave violation of international law and an infringement of his family’s fundamental right to know the truth. • Call to Syrian authorities: We urge the relevant authorities in Syria to immediately disclose Al Shamsi’s place of detention, guarantee his safety, allow him to communicate with his family and legal counsel, and ensure full fair trial guarantees. • Call for international action: We call on Syrian and international human rights organisations, as well as UN mechanisms, to urgently intervene and apply pressure to end this violation. Continued disregard for this case undermines the rule of law and entrenches a culture of impunity. 📎 Read in full: en.edacrights.com/post/866 #JasimAlShamsi #EnforcedDisappearance #RightToTruth #HumanRights #UAE #Syria #UN

Ninth Anniversary of #Ahmed_Mansoor’s Arrest Marks Ongoing Detention Under Harsh Sentences Read more ▶️ en.edacrights.com/post/865

While families come together to celebrate Eid, prisoners of conscience in the UAE endure a very different reality. No visits. No contact with their loved ones. Not even their most basic rights. Their children grow up without them Their only “crime” was hoping for reform.

On the occasion of #EidalFitr, the UAE Detainees Advocacy Center extends its sincere congratulations and warmest wishes to all prisoners of conscience and their families, praying that this blessed occasion returns with relief, justice, and freedom. During these blessed days, the Center renews its call for the immediate release of all prisoners of conscience and an end to their suffering and that of their families, in line with the values of justice, mercy, and dignity that Eid represents. Eid Mubarak, and may it be a true Eid of freedom, with reunions that restore joy to every family.

Lawlor emphasised that the release of human rights defenders would send a powerful signal that governments are committed to respecting fundamental freedoms and encouraging dialogue rather than repression. Read more ⏭️en.edacrights.com/post/863

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders, @MaryLawlorhrds, has called on several governments in the Middle East and North Africa to release detained human rights defenders ahead of Eid al Fitr, urging leaders to use the religious holiday as an opportunity to show mercy and compassion. In a public statement, Lawlor appealed to the authorities in the #UAE, Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and other states to issue #Eid pardons and free those imprisoned for their human rights work. She stressed that releasing peaceful activists would reflect the humanitarian and ethical values associated with the Islamic holiday. Read more ⏭️en.edacrights.com/post/863

The Emirates Detainees Advocacy Centre is closely monitoring with concern reports that a number of detainees in UAE prisons have been prevented from communicating with their families amid the current security situation. The center emphasizes that allowing detainees to check on their families is a basic humanitarian right, especially during exceptional circumstances. We call on the UAE authorities to immediately allow communication between detainees and their families and to ease the psychological suffering experienced by both detainees and their loved ones. 🔍 Full statement: #UAE" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">en.edacrights.com/post/862#UAE #HumanRights #PrisonersRights

🟠 Families of detainees in UAE prisons report that prisoners are being prevented from contacting their relatives during the current regional security tensions. @EDAC_EN calls on authorities to allow immediate communication so detainees can reassure their families and reduce the psychological suffering caused by uncertainty. The right to contact loved ones is a basic humanitarian safeguard, especially during times of crisis. Read the full statement: #UAE" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">en.edacrights.com/post/862#UAE #HumanRights #PrisonersRights #Detainees #Justice

Preventing detainees in UAE prisons from communicating with their families during the current security circumstances intensifies the psychological suffering of both detainees and their relatives, particularly amid the widespread anxiety affecting society. Allowing detainees to check on their families remains a fundamental humanitarian right, especially in exceptional times. 🔗 Read the full press release by the Emirates Detainees Advocacy Centre: en.edacrights.com/post/862

📢 Press Release On Preventing Detainees in UAE Prisons from Communicating with Their Families Amid Current Security Conditions The Emirates Detainees Advocacy Centre (EDAC) is closely monitoring, with concern, the ongoing security developments in the region and the exceptional circumstances currently facing the United Arab Emirates following the attacks that targeted a number of Gulf countries. During these difficult times for the state and society, detainees’ concern for their families has increased, while their families themselves are living in a state of anxiety and anticipation. EDAC has received complaints from families of detainees indicating that a large number of prisoners in UAE prisons have been prevented from communicating with their relatives during this period, whether through telephone calls or other means of communication. This situation further intensifies the psychological suffering experienced by detainees and their families amid the prevailing tensions. EDAC emphasises that enabling detainees to communicate with their families to check on their wellbeing is a fundamental humanitarian right, particularly in exceptional circumstances that require consideration of humanitarian and social factors. Accordingly, the Emirates Detainees Advocacy Centre (EDAC): 1- Calls on the UAE authorities to allow detainees immediate communication with their families so they may reassure them during this sensitive period. 2- Urges consideration of the humanitarian and psychological dimensions affecting detainees and their families amid the widespread concern within society. 3- Encourages the relevant authorities to take urgent measures to alleviate the suffering of families who are experiencing deep anxiety for their loved ones. In conclusion, EDAC renews its call for a prompt response to this urgent humanitarian request and for detainees to be allowed to communicate with their families under these exceptional circumstances. 🔗 Read the full press release on our website: en.edacrights.com/post/862 #UAE #HumanRights

From Al Wathba prison, Amina Al-Abdouli sent audio messages to UN Special Rapporteurs describing the harsh conditions faced by women detainees. Her voice from behind bars reminds us that freedom of expression must never be punished with imprisonment. #AnotherYearBehindBars #FreeAminaAlAbdouli #HumanRights #UAE

#AnotherYearBehindBars | Amina Al-Abdouli Since security forces raided her home in Fujairah in 2015 and arrested her without a warrant, Amina Al-Abdouli has continued to pay the price for speaking out. She was forcibly disappeared, tortured, and forced to sign a confession she was not allowed to read. After completing her sentence in 2020, she was not released but instead faced new charges for exposing prison abuses and sending recordings to the United Nations. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has called her imprisonment arbitrary and demanded her immediate release, yet she remains behind bars. #AnotherYearBehindBars #FreeAminaAlAbdouli #HumanRights #UAE

🟠 Mohamed Al-Roken marks yet another year behind bars, while justice remains stalled and accountability absent. Time has not obscured the truth; it has made it clearer. Each passing day exposes this imprisonment for what it is: not the rule of law, but a grave violation of fundamental rights. His case is more than a detention, it is a measure of whether justice still holds meaning. Silencing principled voices does not erase them; it only reveals the depth of repression. Freedom is not a privilege granted by power, it is an inalienable right. Freedom for Mohamed Al-Roken now. Silence is no longer an option. #AnotherYearBehindBars #MohamedAlRoken

🟠Sister of Prisoner of Conscience Ali Al-Zaabi Dies amid Calls to Allow Him to Bid Her Farewell 📢Fatima Salem Mohammed Al-Ghawasi Al-Zaabi died on Friday, according to local sources. Funeral prayers are scheduled to be held at Sheikh Zayed Mosque in the Al Zaab area of Abu Dhabi, with burial to follow at Bani Yas cemetery. Human rights advocates have called on the UAE authorities to allow detained prisoner of conscience Ali Salem Al-Ghuwas Al-Zaabi to exercise his right to say goodbye to his sister and take a final look at her. They stressed that this is a fundamental humanitarian right protected under international laws and standards, including detainees’ rights to maintain family contact in such circumstances. Al-Zaabi has been held in UAE prisons since his arrest in 2012 in connection with the “UAE 94” case, amid human rights reports indicating he has been subjected to arbitrary detention and restrictions on his fundamental rights. Despite completing his sentence in 2022, he remains imprisoned without a clear legal basis. In December 2023, Al-Zaabi was referred, along with 83 other Emiratis, to trial before the State Security Chamber of the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal in a case known in the media as the “UAE 84” case. #UAE94 #UAE84 #HumanRights

The President of the United Arab Emirates has ordered the release of 1,440 inmates from correctional and penal institutions nationwide, marking the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan, in line with an annual practice observed during religious occasions. However, the pardon did not include any prisoners of conscience or individuals detained in connection with peaceful political or civic activity, despite repeated calls for their release. Read more ⏩ en.edacrights.com/post/860

Every day behind bars makes injustice clearer. Silencing free voices does not erase them, it exposes repression. Mohammed Al Roken’s case is not just detention; it is a test of justice denied and rights violated. Freedom is not a privilege, it is a right. Free Mohammed Al Roken. #FreeMohammedAlRoken #HumanRights #Justice #UAE #FreeSpeech

Meet Dr Mohamed Al-Roken @DrAlRoken, widely known as the “Mandela of the UAE”, a quiet voice with profound impact. His work was rooted in peaceful advocacy for justice and freedom of expression. Yet, for this very commitment, he has been imprisoned for years. His case is not an exception, but part of a broader pattern affecting numerous human rights defenders and prisoners of conscience. Years of imprisonment cannot silence the truth. Free Mohamed Al-Roken! #AnotherYearBehindBars #PrisonersOfConscience #FreedomOfExpression #HumanRights

Mohammed Al-Roken spends yet another year behind bars, but his voice remains unbroken and his cause alive. A prominent human rights lawyer, he has lost years of his life for peacefully advocating reform, justice, and the rule of law. His continued imprisonment reflects a troubling reality where justice is delayed and dissenting voices are restrained rather than protected. Yet time has not erased his story. Calls for his release persist, and his legacy endures as a reminder that justice cannot be silenced and that principled voices outlive prison walls.#MohammedAlRoken #HumanRights #FreedomOfExpression

🟧Poet Abdulrahman Al-Qaradawi remains detained without charge or fair trial and denied access to his family and lawyer, a serious violation of due process amounting to arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance under international law. Targeting individuals for their views undermines the rule of law and fundamental freedoms. Urgent international action is needed to end his detention and ensure his right to liberty and dignity. #FreeAbdulrahman #HumanRights #FreedomOfExpression

🔸 A new year passes, and Ahmed Mansoor remains behind bars. A human rights defender imprisoned for his peaceful views, he continues to spend his years in isolation while international calls for his release go unanswered. His case is not an isolated one; it reflects a broader reality in which free expression is treated as a crime and calls for reform are met with punishment. The persistence of his detention despite repeated appeals from rights organizations raises fundamental questions about freedom of expression, justice, and adherence to international human rights standards. As part of the campaign Another Year Behind Bars, the message remains clear: the passage of time does not erase injustice, nor does it extinguish rights. Sustained solidarity is essential to keep these cases visible until justice is served. #AnotherYearBehindBars #AhmedMansoor #PrisonersOfConscience #FreedomOfExpression #HumanRights