US national arrested in UAE for criticizing Egypt

Sherif Osman, a US citizen and outspoken supporter of protests against President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, has been arrested by UAE authorities after arriving in the country to visit family this week.

According to family sources, he was in Dubai to visit his sister, a UAE resident, and his mother who was visiting from Egypt. He was arrested by police outside his sister's home, according to the source.

'I'm just hoping civil society groups can help us pressure the UAE to get him out, because the UAE doesn't have a bright human rights record, and it’s really scary'

Similar information has also been circulating among friends and supporters of Osman since Tuesday, with calls for his whereabouts to be revealed and for him not to be deported to Egypt. 

Osman, a former Egyptian army officer, was one of three exiles who called for anti-government protests in Egypt on 11 November, during the UN climate summit (Cop27), currently being held in the resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh.