PUBLIC AI Index: MDE 25/004/2005

23 August 2005

UA 218/05 Fear of torture or ill-treatment/ incommunicado detention/ health concern

UNITED ARAB 'Abdullah Sultan al-Subaihat (m), aged 45

EMIRATES (UAE) Mohammad Ahmad Saif al-Ghufli (m), aged 44

Sa'eed 'Ali Humeid al-Kutbi (m), aged 45

Humeid Salem al-Ghawas al-Za’abi (m), aged 39

'Abdullah Sultan al-Subaihat, Mohammad Ahmad Saif al-Ghufli and Sa’eed ‘Ali Humeid al-Kutbi are believed to be detained incommunicado by the Amn al-Dawla (State Security) in Abu Dhabi. They have not been charged with any offence and are at risk of torture or ill-treatment. Another man, Humeid Salem al-Ghawas al-Za’abi, is receiving medical treatment after being detained without charge in solitary confinement since March 2004. His mental health is at risk if he is returned to solitary confinement.

'Abdullah Sultan al-Subaihat, Mohammad Ahmad Saif al-Ghufli and Sa’eed ‘Ali Humeid al-Kutbi were arrested on 2 August. According to reports, ‘Abdullah Sultan al-Subaihat was arrested on his way home in the Emirate of ‘Ajman by plainclothed men said to be members of the Amn al-Dawla. Both his office and home were searched and books were taken away. He has been allowed to make three brief phone calls to his family. Mohammad Ahmad Saif al-Ghufli and Sa’eed ‘Ali Humeid al-Kutbi were arrested respectively in the Emirates of Sharjah and Abu Dhabi. Their houses were also said to have been searched and it is not known whether they have been allowed to make phone calls to their families. The reasons for the arrest of the three men are not known. They remain held without charge, with noaccess to lawyers and families.

Humeid Salem al-Ghawas al-Za’abi, a high ranking officer in the UAE air force, was detained on 17 March 2004 in Abu Dhabi, reportedly by military intelligence personnel. The reasons for his arrest and detention are not known. He was kept incommunicado, without charge and in solitary confinement for about 11 months, before being allowed visits from relatives. He is not thought to have been physically tortured. However, he has recently been admitted to a hospital psychiatric unit for treatment, reportedly due to his long period of solitary confinement. He may be returned to solitary confinement after completing his treatment, which would cause further harm to his mental health.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The practice of detaining political suspects incommunicado in undisclosed locations is common in the UAE. Members of the Amn al-Dawla are reportedly responsible for arresting political suspects who are kept in solitary confinement. A former detainee, Salem al-Baloushi, was said to have been kept in solitary confinement for six years, from 1994 until his release without charge in 2000.

In the report The Gulf and the Arabian Peninsula: Human rights fall victim to the “War on Terror” (AI Index: MDE 04/002/2004, 22 June 2004), Amnesty International reported that in the aftermath of the attacks in the USA on 11 September 2001, over 250 people were arrested and detained in the UAE. They had no access to lawyers or family and their legal status was unclear. Reports suggest that most have been released without charge. Little information is available on those arrested, as their relatives often do not want their cases reported because they fear reprisals by the federal security forces.

RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible, in English or your own language:

- expressing concern that Abdullah Sultan al-Subaihat, Mohammad Ahmad Saif al-Ghufli and Sa’eed ‘Ali Humeid al-Kutbi are being held incommunicado at an unknown location and may be at risk of torture or ill-treatment;

- seeking clarifications of the reasons for their arrest and detention, and urging the authorities to reveal their current whereabouts;

- calling on them to be given immediate access to their families, lawyers of their own choosing, and any medical treatment they may require;

- expressing concern that Humeid Salem al-Ghawas al-Za’abi has been detained in solitary confinement since 17 March 2004 without charge;

- expressing concern at reports that his health has deteriorated as a result of his detention in solitary confinement, and expressing concern for his health if he is returned to solitary confinement after completing psychiatric treatment;

- calling for all four men to be released immediately and unconditionally unless they are to be charged with recognizably criminal offences and given a prompt and fair trial.

APPEALS TO:

His Excellency

Major-General Shaikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan

Minister of the Interior

Ministry of the Interior

POB 398

Abu Dhabi

United Arab Emirates

Fax: + 971 2 4414938 / 4 3981119

Salutation: Your Excellency

His Excellency

Muhammad Nukhaira Al-Dhahiri

Minister of Justice, Awqaf & Islamic Affairs

Ministry of Justice, Awqaf & Islamic Affairs

POB 753

Abu Dhabi

United Arab Emirates

Fax: + 971 2 6810680 / 4 2825121

Salutation: Your Excellency

His Excellency

Rashid ‘Abdullah Al-Nu’aimi

Minister of Foreign Affairs

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

POB 1,

Abu Dhabi

United Arab Emirates

Fax: + 971 4 2280979

Salutation: Your Excellency

COPIES TO: diplomatic representatives of United Arab Emirates accredited to your country.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the International Secretariat, or your section office, if sending appeals after 4 October 2005.