Around 30 political prisoners to end prison sentence in 2022

 Nearly 30 political prisoners are scheduled to end their prison sentences by the end of the year.

As detaining people beyond their release dates is a common measure in the UAE, we call on Eimirati authorities to abide by international laws and to release these prisoners when their sentences end.

There are currently 19 detainees being detained beyond their sentence, including Amina Abdouli and Mariam al-Balushi, who were charged for three extra years because of their leaked recordings complaining their difficult detention conditions.

Instead of being granted release, these prisoners were expected to be transferred to a so-called "Munasaha centres", a “counselling centres” within Abu Dhabi’s Al-Razeen prison facility.

International human rights law protects basic rights, including the right not to be arbitrarily deprived of liberty.

The United Nations Human Rights Committee, in its general comment on article nine of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) stated that, “if, under the most exceptional circumstances, a present, direct and imperative threat is invoked to justify the detention of persons considered presenting such a threat, the burden of proof lies on States parties to show that the individual poses such a threat and that it cannot be addressed by alternative measures, and that burden increases with the length of the detention. States parties also need to show that detention does not last longer than absolutely necessary, that the overall length of possible detention is limited, and that they fully respect the guarantees provided for by article 9 in all cases."