The Guantanamo of the UAE received 15 Guantanamo detainees

Emirates Association for Human Rights praised what they described as a "humanitarian gesture from the UAE"  when it received 15 prisoners coming  from Guantanamo despite the human rights concerns expressed by activists and international human rights organisations.

The 15 Guantanamo detainees who are composed of 12 Yemenis and three Afghans were transferred last Monday to the UAE. Many of them spent years in detention without trial or charge and the state is receiving them in Al Razeen prison, which is also known as the "Guantanamo of the UAE."

 Mohammed Salem Al Kaabi, Head of the organisation board  said that the UAE  has previously provided assistance and support in resolving the humanitarian issues of the Guantanamo detainees. In fact, the UAE received on November 17, 2015 five detainees from Guantanamo.

All of this has raised the concerns of international organisations. For instance, Amnesty International showed concerns about the treatment these Guantanamo prisoners are going to receive in the UAE and questioned the conditions of their stay in prison.

The human rights record of the UAE is controversial because of its widespread abuse to rights and public freedoms, as the UAE continue to arrest people without charges and prohibit them from having a fair trial or meeting with lawyers.

It is important to note that four US detainees who had Libyan origins spent 500 days in enforced disappearances. This is also the case of Amina Abdouli who was kept in an unknown location since November 2015 without a trial or any charges. The list is long and many others had to go through similar experiences.

Al Razeen prison, in which the Guantanamo inmates are going stay, is one of the most notorious prisons. Around 200 reports spoke about torture in this prison and these reports are thought to be valid and true according to the United Nations.