UAE Urged To Free Activists, Mass School Closures In Haiti, Aid For Sudanese Refugees In Libya

The United Arab Emirates must immediately release 43 activists who have been sentenced to life imprisonment for terror offences, independent UN human rights experts said on Tuesday. 

The defendants were part of the so-called “UAE 84” group who were subject to mass trials and convicted for establishing a terrorist organization under the country’s 2014 Counter-terrorism Law for acts dating back to the Arab Spring, some 14 years ago.

Most had already spent a decade behind bars for national security-related offences allegedly committed during the same period.

Experts ‘shocked’

The experts issued a statement saying they were shocked at the life sentences, which were handed down earlier this month by the Abu Dhabi Court of Appeal.  Ten other people were also given between 10 to 15 years in prison.

“The United Arab Emirates must ensure that national counterterrorism legislation does not unnecessarily and disproportionately restrain civil society and civic space,” they said. 

“The authorities must immediately release these people and bring the country’s counter-terrorism legislation fully in line with international law.” 

Unfair trial

They said they remain extremely concerned about the “unfair mass trial and lack of due process guarantees”, noting that “the indictment, charges, defence lawyers and names of defendants were reportedly kept secret.”

Furthermore, defence lawyers were reportedly not able to freely access case files and other court documents, with some only able to view the files on a screen and in a secure room, under the supervision of security officers.

The experts who issued the statement were appointed by the UN Human Rights Council, which is based in Geneva. They work on a voluntary basis, are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work.

Gang violence forces mass school closure in Haiti

Instability in Haiti continues to lead to mass school closures, leaving thousands of children without access to education, the UN said on Tuesday. 

Over 900 schools are closed in the Ouest and Artibonite departments, which impacts 156,000 young people.

Specifically, in the Ouest department, which includes the capital Port-au-Prince, 39 schools are currently being used as sites for displaced people (IDPs), while at least 20 other schools are occupied by various armed groups and gangs.

“I can tell you that ourselves and our humanitarian partners on the ground are concerned about the impact of the persisting insecurity on access to education, with the school year set to start in September,” said UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, speaking during his daily briefing from New York. 

Education Cannot Wait, the UN’s fund for education in emergency and crisis situations, recently allocated $2.5 million to support schooling efforts in Haiti.

Still, the current $674 million Humanitarian Response Plan for the country is only 25 per cent funded, with $170 million met.

Mr. Dujarric called for further support to address the ongoing crisis. 

Support for Sudanese refugees in Libya

A $5.3 million allocation from the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) will support some 195,000 vulnerable Sudanese refugees in Libya, and communities hosting them.

UN Acting Emergency Relief Coordinator Joyce Msuya announced the contribution in a post on Monday on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter. 

The number of Sudanese fleeing to Libya has increased significantly since war erupted in their homeland in April 2023.  At the same time, Libya is facing its own humanitarian challenges. 

The funding will be used to support urgent assistance and to kick-start humanitarian response while further resources are being mobilized.  It is part of the broader Regional Refugee Response Plan for the Sudan crisis, which remains severely underfunded. 

Although aid partners are seeking $1.5 billion, only $313 million has been received to date, or just over 21 per cent. 

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