- EGYPT
- October 10, 2015
- 5 minutes read
Egyptian Mosaab Ramadan Languishes in UAE Prisons More Than 354 Days
The Arab Organisation for Human Rights in the UK (AOHR UK) received a letter of grievance from the family of Egyptian national Mosaab Ahmed Abdel-Aziz Ramadan, 27 years, in which they complained about his arbitrary arrest and brutal torture in the United Arab Emirates since 21 October 2014.
Mosaab’s father told AOHR that his son had been working at a company specialising in smart phone solutions in Dubai, UAE when he was summoned by security forces on 21 October 2014.
“They did not tell him why they wanted to meet with him. Later, he failed to return home. His sister went to UAE security authorities to enquire about his whereabouts. She was told they had no idea where he was. The following day, she went back and was told he had been transferred to the State Security Headquarters in Abu Dhabi, and was not given any further information about the reasons behind his arrest or the charges against him.
"Mosaab called his sister from a private telephone on 24 December 2014 to tell say he was being held at a detention centre in the UAE. Sadly, the call was cut off before he could tell us why or where he was being held. The whole conversation lasted less than two minutes. We appealed to UAE authorities to release Mosaab or at least provide us with information about his legal status.
"In December 2014, I sent several letters to the UAE consulate in Istanbul with the same queries. We later learned from some released detainees that Mosaab was brutally tortured to sign false confessions. He was held in solitary confinement for more than 100 days before being transferred to Al-Wathba Prison in Abu Dhabi, where he is currently being held.
"We learned later that Mosaab’s name was added to case no. 4/2015 State Security, which charged defendants with belonging to terrorist organisations despite the lack of any evidence. It was virtually impossible to find a single lawyer who would agree to represent him because most lawyers working in the UAE avoid these kind of cases. We only recently managed to hire a lawyer; but he is yet to be allowed to visit Mosaab.
"My son has never been involved in any political activities. He was arrested to put pressure on me, because I used to be part of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi’s presidential team, and because I am opposed to the military coup in Egypt, which ousted President Morsi on the 3rd of July 2013. I am also involved in many political activities outside Egypt.”
Arbitrary arrests, forced disappearances and torture are systematic practices used by UAE authorities against UAE nationals over their political views and against foreign nationals who might be suspected of supporting the Arab Spring revolutions or are related to pro-revolution political figures or activists.
UAE authorities continue to detain scores of Emirati and foreign nationals in secret prisons. Others were held for months prior to being tried in haste and sentenced to years in prison. Most have complained of being tortured. A number of political detainees were transferred to prisons without appearing before a public prosecutor or a judge.
Arab Organisation for Human Rights in the UK
London: Friday 09 October 2015