UAE court upholds convictions of 53 dissidents in mass trial, no further appeals allowed

An Emirati court rejected all appeals on March 4, upholding sentences of 10 years to life for 53 human rights defenders. Human Rights Watch condemned the ruling as final and unjust.

UAE court upholds mass trial convictions against 53 dissidents

An Emirati court on March 4, 2025, rejected all appeals in the United Arab Emirates' second-largest mass trial, upholding convictions and sentences ranging from 10 years to life in prison for 53 human rights defenders and political dissidents, Google News UAE — Courts & Fraud reports, citing a statement by Human Rights Watch. The decision is final and cannot be further appealed.

The Abu Dhabi Federal Appeals Court had originally convicted the 53 defendants on July 10, 2024, following a trial that Human Rights Watch described as marred by due process and fair trial violations. Lawyers for the defendants subsequently filed appeals, two informed sources told the organisation.

"Upholding the cruel convictions and sentences against 53 of the country's most prominent political dissidents and human rights defenders confirms that fierce repression of peaceful critics remains the order of the day in the UAE," said Joey Shea, United Arab Emirates researcher at Human Rights Watch. "This decision reveals the travesty of the UAE's justice system when it comes to political dissent."

Charges filed during COP28

In December 2023, while the UAE was hosting the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), Emirati authorities brought charges against at least 84 defendants. The prosecution centred on the defendants' alleged formation of an independent advocacy group in 2010. Many had already been serving prison sentences for the same or similar offences.

The trial was marked by a series of procedural violations, according to Human Rights Watch: restricted access to case material, limited legal assistance, judges directing witness testimony, violations of the principle of double jeopardy, credible allegations of abuse and ill-treatment, and hearings conducted in secrecy.

In July 2024, the court sentenced 43 defendants to life in prison, five to 15 years, and five to 10 years. Criminal cases against 24 others were dismissed. The public prosecutor appealed those dismissals; a court will consider that appeal on April 8.

Prominent activists among defendants

Among those tried in the new case were defendants from an earlier mass trial, as well as prominent activists including Ahmed Mansoor, a member of the Human Rights Watch Middle East and North Africa advisory board, and academic Nasser bin Ghaith.

On March 1, the UAE's state news agency announced that the State Security Chamber of the Federal Supreme Court would issue the appeals verdict on March 4. The March 4 session was the first and only hearing for the appeal. None of the detainees were present, and only one defence lawyer was able to attend, according to the Emirates Detainees Advocacy Center (EDAC), a human rights organisation supporting imprisoned defenders in the UAE.

Emirati authorities blocked at least one other lawyer from attending the session and told him the results would be provided within two days, a family member of one defendant said.

Access to case files denied for over 30 days

Article 245 of the UAE's Criminal Procedures Law allows appeals within 30 days of a verdict. However, more than 30 days after the July 2024 ruling, the authorities had still not granted the defendant's lawyer access to the case file, according to the defendant's relative.

Authorities eventually called the lawyer to the office of the public prosecutor and permitted him to view case files once on a computer. He was not provided with a physical or electronic copy of the documents and was only able to take notes.

Conditions of detention largely unknown

Little is known about the conditions under which the 53 defendants are being held, as most are denied visits and phone calls from family members, EDAC said. "From what we have heard, they have been moved out of solitary, but everything is unconfirmed because there is no real source of information," one relative said. "There is no real way to get information. We think this is just a sham trial."

Ties to earlier UAE94 trial

In a statement released in January 2024, Emirati authorities accused the 84 defendants of establishing and managing a clandestine terrorist organisation known as the Justice and Dignity Committee. The charges appear to stem from the UAE's 2014 counterterrorism law, which provides for sentences of up to life in prison — and even death — for anyone who sets up, organises, or runs such an organisation.

At least 60 of the defendants had already been convicted in 2013 in connection with the Justice and Dignity Committee, EDAC said. That earlier "UAE94" trial resulted in convictions of 69 government critics, including eight in absentia, on charges that Human Rights Watch said violated their rights to free expression, association, and assembly. The 69 were among 94 people detained from March 2012 onwards during what the organisation described as an unprecedented crackdown on dissent.

Given that the charges are based solely on the defendants' peaceful exercise of their human rights, and that the convictions followed a fundamentally unfair trial, Human Rights Watch called on Emirati authorities to immediately overturn the convictions and release all defendants.

"Emirati authorities should overturn these convictions and release the defendants immediately and unconditionally," Shea said.

Source: Google News UAE — Courts & Fraud