International Women's Day: Join our Twitter storm for Alia Abdel Nour

To mark International Women’s Day on Friday 8 March, ICFUAE are organising a Twitter storm to call for the immediate release of the terminally ill female detainee, Alia Abdel Nour.

Who is Alia Abdel Nour?

Alia is an Emirati prisoner of conscience who has terminal breast cancer, and is currently detained in Tawan hospital where she is reportedly subjected to ill-treatment and abuse.

She was arrested without a warrant in 2015, held in secret detention for four months and  forced to sign a false confession under torture.

In 2017, she was sentenced to 10 years in prison after being convicted of ‘financing terrorism.’ Alia’s family have said that her charge relates to small donations she made to Syrian women and children in 2011 at the advent of the country’s revolution.

A year after her arrest Alia was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer. Despite this, her family say that she has been severely mistreated by the authorities and frequently denied access to adequate medical care.

With just weeks left to live, Alia is being held in a windowless room without ventilation and chained to a hospital bed.

The UAE authorities are refusing to allow the cancer-stricken detainee early release on medical grounds.

Human Rights Watch and UN rights experts have called for Alia’s immediate release, urging the UAE to allow her ’to live her last days of life in dignity and with her family at home.’

What can I do to help Alia?

This Friday we call on anyone who wants to help draw attention to Alia’s plight to join our Twitter storm.

It is easy, just post as many Tweets as you can throughout the day on Friday using the hashtags #FreeAlia and #InternationalWomensDay.

Who shall I address the Tweets to?

You can address the Tweets to the United Arab Emirates, in particular to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum @HHShkMohd, the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and ask him to #FreeAlia. You can also Tweet to Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan @SaifBZayed, the Minister of Interior, who is the authority responsible for prisons in the UAE and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan @MohamedBinZayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

You can create your own Tweets or use the suggestions below.

Tweets for #FreeAlia
 

1. The #UAE must #FreeAlia Abdel Nour, who is chained to a hospital bed under armed guard in a windowless room without ventilation. #InternationalWomensDay #FreeAlia
2. Alia Abdel Nour must be granted medical release and allowed to die at home in dignity #FreeAlia #InternationalWomensDay
3. On #InternationalWomensDay, spare a thought for Alia Abdel Nour - a UAE prisoner of conscience suffering from terminal cancer, who is chained to a hospital bed in a windowless room without ventilation. She must be granted early medical release! #FreeAlia
4. The #UAE authorities must heed to the call of UN rights experts - and release Alia Abdel Nour so that she can “die at home in dignity”. #FreeAlia #InternationalWomensDay
5. The #UAE authorities have frequently denied adequate medical care to cancer-stricken detainee Alia Abdel Nour. With just a few days left to live, they are refusing to grant her early medical release. #FreeAlia #InternationalWomensDay
6. @MohamedBinZayed: #FreeAlia on #InternationalWomensDay and allow her home to die in dignity.
7. Arrested without a warrant, forced to sign a confession under torture, denied adequate medical care to treat her cancer - @MohamedBinZayed the least you can do is #FreeAlia and allow her to die at home in dignity.
8. Alia was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer. Despite this, she has been denied access to adequate medical care in detention. @MohamedBinZayed: #FreeAlia #InternationalWomensDay
9. With just a few weeks to live, Alia Abdel Nour is chained to a hospital bed under armed guard in a windowless room without ventilation. @MohamedBinZayed: #FreeAlia Now! #InternationalWomensDay
10. Alia Abdel Nour is spending #InternationalWomensDay chained to a hospital bed in a windowless room without ventilation. @MohamedBinZayed: #FreeAlia and allow her to die at home in dignity
11. Alia Abdel Nour is spending the last few weeks of her life without her family and in degrading conditions. #FreeAlia #InternationalWomensDay
12. Having been denied adequate medical care for years by #UAE prison authorities, her cancer has now spread throughout her body. @MohamedBinZayed: Alia Abdel Nour must be allowed to die with dignity surrounded by her family. #FreeAlia Now! #InternationalWomensDay
13. No one should have to go through this alone: Alia Abdel Nour must now be allowed home to be with her family before she dies. @MohamedBinZayed: Grant Alia early release on medical grounds! #FreeAlia #InternationalWomensDay
14. If @MohamedBinZayed is in any way serious about promotion of tolerance, he must free Alia Abdel Nour immediately! #FreeAlia #InternationalWomensDay
15. Emirati prisoner of conscience Alia Abdel Nour is dying of cancer and has just a few weeks left to live. Yet, @MohamedBinZayed refuses to release her. #FreeAlia Now! #InternationalWomensDay