The dark side of the United Arab Emirates -- New Internationalist

The dark side of the United Arab Emirates -- New Internationalist

The dark side of the United Arab Emirates

 

With its booming tourism industry and growing cultural footprint, the
United Arab Emirates (UAE) has never enjoyed a greater global
influence. But the glamorous modern streets and well-managed public
relations campaign hides a far darker side.


Many people in Britain and around the world would associate the UAE
with tall, futuristic buildings, elaborate shopping complexes and
Arsenal football club (sponsored by Emirates airline). But beneath the
veneer of respectability and the carefully cultivated image there is an
authoritarian monarchy whose behaviour and beliefs offer a sharp
contrast to the liberal and flamboyant image that it likes to project.


I recently spent an afternoon with the Arab Organization for Human Rights at a conference on the human rights situation facing Emirate people. It was there that I met Mohamed Alaradi,
a quietly spoken Libyan entrepreneur who was detained without charge
and beaten in a secret prison in the UAE. His brother Salim is still
there, alongside five others who have been confined for a full 12
months.


Unfortunately these men are not alone. As Human Rights Watch
has made clear, the authorities have detained scores of people who have
either criticized them or who have been accused of links to domestic or
foreign Islamist groups.


The conditions for prisoners are dire. A report from NGO Reprieve found that 75% of prisoners report police torture. Similarly, a number of prisoners, including Ahmed Zeidan, a British student from Reading, have reported making a false confession under torture.

Shadows on the pavement in Abu Dhabi.
Thomas Galvez under a Creative Commons Licence