EU Parliamentary question answered on human rights violations in the UAE

Question from Nikolaj Villumsen to the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy

Reference -E-001375/2021

“The EU must take the numerous reports of human rights violations taking place in the United Arab Emirates seriously.

1. Will the Vice‑President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP/HR) publicly call for His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan to grant the immediate and unconditional release of all political activists, human rights defenders, journalists and prisoners of conscience who have been tortured or subjected to other forms of ill-treatment in the United Arab Emirates since 2012, including Ahmed Mansour?

2. Will the VP/HR urge the Emirati Government to accept and invite independent, impartial bodies to investigate all allegations of torture and ill-treatment in detention, and hold those responsible accountable in accordance with national law?

3. Will he commit to meeting with civil society organisations and regional activists prior to the next informal human rights dialogue between the European External Action Service and Emirati officials?”

Answer given by High Representative/Vice-President Borrell on behalf of the European Commission 

Reference: E-001375/2021

“The EU, through its Delegation in Abu Dhabi and together with EU Member States represented there, is actively monitoring the overall human rights situation in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), including the situation of Ahmed Mansour and other individual cases. In doing so, the EU has been reiterating its principled position on human rights defenders and freedom of expression, in line with the existing EU Guidelines(1).

Moreover, following the confirmation of Ahmed Mansour’s ten-year sentence on 31 December 2018 by the Federal Supreme Court of the UAE, the EU stressed publicly that no one shall be detained merely on the grounds of peacefully expressing his or her opinions(2).

The 9th EU-UAE human rights dialogue on 22 February 2020 in Brussels provided a further opportunity to discuss pertinent issues of concern with the UAE authorities including on freedom of expression, the right to a fair trial, allegations of torture and ill-treatment as well as prison conditions. On that occasion, the EU again stressed the importance of accountability, hereby encouraging the UAE authorities to consider acceding to core United Nations (UN) human rights treaties and to invite UN Special Procedures and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The meeting also allowed raising individual cases.

The EU will revert to these issues during the next round of the EU-UAE human rights dialogue scheduled for 9 June 2021. As part of usual practice, the EU will again consult with civil society organisations and activists in preparation of that meeting.”