At HRC 43, Violations of Privacy Rights in the UAE

Today, an oral intervention was delivered at the 43rd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, under Item 3 in the Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Privacy. The intervention focused on the negative impact of cyber surveillance on privacy rights in the United Arab Emirates. Please continue reading for[…]

UAE: Freedom of expression must be upheld at all times, not only tolerated during Hay Festival Abu Dhabi

Open Letter from Over 50 NGOs and Individuals to the UAE authorities 24 February 2020- As the Hay Festival Abu Dhabi opens on 25-28 February 2020 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), we the undersigned call on the Emirati authorities to demonstrate their respect for the right to freedom of expression by freeing all human[…]

Kuwaiti Government’s Crackdown on the Bidoon

Kuwait is home to one of the largest groups of stateless people in the world: the Bidoon. Bidoon is a literal translation of the Arabic word for ‘without’, as it refers to being without a state or nation. More than 100,000 Bidoon live in Kuwait. The Kuwaiti government purposely avoided giving the Bidoon people citizenship[…]

UN Special Rapporteur Publishes Allegation Letter to Kuwait on the Lack of Fair Trial for Ms. Maria Lazareva

On 11 September 2019, the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers published an Allegation Letter to the Government of Kuwait, citing concern for the unfair trial of Ms. Maria Lazareva.  According to the Allegation Letter, Ms. Lazareva is a business executive who worked as the Vice Chair and CEO of KGL Investment[…]

UN Special Procedures Publish Allegation Letter to United Arab Emirates Addressing Detention of Guillaume Pernot

On 8 August 2019, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants published an allegation letter to the Government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), citing concern for Guillaume Pernot (aka Yannick Dacheville), who was allegedly arrested, arbitrarily detained, and tortured. According to the allegation letter,[…]