Health of Detained UAE Academic Nasser Bin Ghaith at Risk

Health of Detained UAE Academic Nasser Bin Ghaith at Risk

Emirati academic and economist Dr. Nasser bin Ghaith faces a serious health deterioration, as he continues his hunger strike for over 70 days in al-Razeen prison.

He is now incapable of movement and only able to walk with the assistance of others, rights sources revealed.

Since his arrest in August 2015, Bin Ghaith has been on hunger strike against his ill-treatment in Al-Razeen prison twice before.

Abuse against Bin Ghaith continues and rights groups are now raising the alarm about his deteriorating health.

Bin Ghaith was detained over charges that include the peaceful exercise of his right to free speech.

Among other charges, Bin Ghaith is accused of committing a “hostile act” against a foreign country over tweets critical of Egyptian authorities and their 2013 bloody crackdown on protesters gathering at Rabaa square against the military's removal of elected president Muhammad Morsi. The crackdown resulted in more than 800 civilian casualties, according to Human Rights Watch.

Wary of an Arab-Spring like uprising within its borders, the UAE government launched an unprecedented crackdown on critics and activists in 2011.

This crackdown has not come to an end, as the government continues to resort to tactics of arrests, enforced disappearances, incommunicado detentions, unfair trials and torture of those in prison.

 

Tags: freeNasser

 

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