Omani Citizen released after being detained for mocking the UAE policies

United Arab Emirates: The Federal Supreme Court acquitted the young Omani Thamer Al Balushi from the charge of mocking the UAE policies.

Ayoub Al Balushi, brother of Thamer Al Balushi, said that this verdict came following the results of medical tests Thamer underwent which indicate that he has a serious psychological condition.

Thamer has been subjected to detention and imprisonment in the United Arab Emirates, since March 2016. He was charged with mocking the policy of the United Arab Emirates and Al-Hazm storm operation.

The International Center for Justice and Human Rights in Geneva has issued several reports criticising his arrest without notifying his family nor giving a notice to the Omani authorities or its embassy about his place of detention and the denial of his right to contact his family and receive correspondence and be allowed to a counsel's visit.

The center also said that preventing Thamir Al Balushi of his right to a counsel for the whole arrest period and during the trial is definitely a violation of the UAE Constitution, which has considered the right of defence and the presumption of innocence as one of the constitutional provisions. This prevention is also a violation of the right to physical and legal assistance such as stated in the Criminal justice system adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012.