Legal Expert Faces Prolonged Detention in UAE Despite Sentence Completion

Watan-The Emirates Detainees Advocacy Center has highlighted the case of Dr. Mohammed Ali Saleh Al-Mansoori, a legal expert who has been arbitrarily detained in the UAE for advocating freedoms. He is now facing an unjust sentence after 12 years of unlawful imprisonment in Abu Dhabi’s prisons.

Dr. Al-Mansoori is a prominent legal figure in the UAE, holding a PhD in Public International Law. He served as the Vice President of the “Islah” Association and was a member of its Board of Directors. In March 2011, he was among the signatories of a petition calling for political reforms, which led to him being targeted by UAE authorities.

On July 16, 2012, the State Security Apparatus arrested Dr. Al-Mansoori and subjected him to enforced disappearance for 231 days in secret prisons, where he endured torture and ill-treatment. On July 2, 2013, the Federal Supreme Court sentenced him to 10 years in prison after an unfair trial known as the “UAE 94” case, which lacked basic standards of justice.

Despite completing his sentence on July 16, 2023, the authorities did not release him. Instead, they kept him in arbitrary detention at the Munasaha Center in Al-Razeen Prison without any legal basis. In December 2023, the UAE retried Al-Mansoori along with 83 other political detainees in the “UAE 84” case, sentencing him to life imprisonment (25 years) on the same previous charges, continuing the violation of his rights and the repressive approach practiced by UAE authorities against dissidents.

Previously, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk stated that counter-terrorism in the UAE is being used as a cover for repression and tyranny, undermining public rights and freedoms.

Türk’s annual report on terrorism and human rights specifically addressed the negative impact of counter-terrorism legislation on human rights in the UAE. He expressed serious concerns about the mass trials of 84 detainees in UAE prisons, which have contributed to the narrowing of civil space in the country. Among the accused in this case are Mohammed Al-Mansoori and human rights activist Ahmed Mansoor, who was arrested for his cooperation with UN mechanisms.

The UN Commissioner highlighted that prisoner of conscience Mohammed Al-Mansoori was arrested in the “UAE 94” case in 2013 and sentenced to 10 years in prison for his peaceful advocacy for reform. Although his sentence ended in July 2023, he remains detained without knowledge of his whereabouts.

For more information, you can refer to the Emirates Detainees Advocacy Center’s profile on Dr. Mohammed Al-Mansoori