Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid pardons 971 prisoners for Ramadan 2023, no political prisoners included

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, has pardoned 971 prisoners on the occasion of Ramadan.

The President’s annual pardon is a humanitarian gesture granted to prisoners ahead of the holy month of Ramadan, to provide them with the opportunity to start afresh and reintegrate into society. 

However, dozens of political prisoners, imprisoned for peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression, have been excluded from the pardon and remain behind bars. 

The pardon also excluded the 56 prisoners of conscience who are continued to be held in UAE jails without any legal basis after ending their prison sentences.

They remain held in flagrant violation of national and international laws, in what is called as “indefinite detention”.

Those indefinitely detained remain arrested without due process, which violates international law - namely the right to liberty and the right to a fair trial as well as the UAE’s own laws regarding fair trials and due process.