Global Campaign Calls to End Enforced Disappearances in the UAE
International Outcry Grows Over the Forced Disappearance of Egyptian-Turkish Dissident After Lebanon’s Extradition to the UAE
Watan-Amnesty International has launched a campaign demanding an end to enforced disappearances based on political opinions in the UAE, marking the latest condemnation of Abu Dhabi’s bleak human rights record.
The organization dedicated its campaign to revealing the fate of poet Abdelrahman Al-Qaradawi, who holds both Egyptian and Turkish citizenship and has been subjected to enforced disappearance since Lebanon handed him over to the UAE on January 8, 2025.
Lebanese security forces arrested Al-Qaradawi on December 28, 2024, at the Masnaa border crossing between Lebanon and Syria. The Lebanese authorities approved his extradition following a request from the UAE, which accused him of spreading “false news” and “disturbing public security” due to a video he posted on social media while in Syria, in which he criticized the Egyptian, Emirati, and Saudi authorities.
Amnesty Warns of Al-Qaradawi’s Enforced Disappearance
According to Amnesty International, concerns over Al-Qaradawi’s safety and well-being are growing, as his family has been unable to obtain any information about his fate, whereabouts, or legal status. Additionally, UAE authorities have denied him any consular visits from Turkish officials.
Recently, 28 human rights organizations expressed deep concern over the enforced disappearance of the Egyptian poet and dissident Abdelrahman Youssef Al-Qaradawi, whose whereabouts have been unknown since January 8, 2025, following his forced deportation from Lebanon to the UAE at the request of the Emirati Attorney General.
In a joint statement, the rights organizations condemned Al-Qaradawi’s detention as a dangerous precedent in the misuse of international security agreements to suppress political dissidents.
The organizations called on UAE authorities to immediately disclose his place of detention, allow him to communicate with his family and lawyer, and ensure his immediate and unconditional release.
The human rights groups also highlighted the UAE’s troubling record of suppressing dissenting voices and mistreating prisoners of conscience, warning that such practices undermine international human rights standards.
Additionally, they urged Turkish authorities, given Al-Qaradawi’s Turkish citizenship, to take urgent diplomatic action to secure his release and press for information about his fate.
Al-Qaradawi was arrested in Lebanon on December 28, 2024, allegedly based on a complaint filed by the Emirati Attorney General regarding a video he posted on his personal page.
He was swiftly deported to the UAE without any transparency, raising concerns about the political motivations behind the decision. Since then, UAE authorities have provided no information regarding his condition or legal status.
Global Campaign Calls to End Enforced Disappearances in the UAE
The statement from human rights organizations emphasized that governments, particularly the UAE, are exploiting international security cooperation to suppress freedom of expression, posing a direct threat to global human rights principles.
The organizations stressed that Al-Qaradawi’s long-standing activism in defending democracy and human rights warrants international intervention to prevent further abuses.
Human rights groups continue to demand his immediate release, emphasizing the need for transparency and the protection of his legal and human rights.
Since his extradition, Al-Qaradawi has had no contact with his family or lawyer, and UAE authorities have not disclosed any information about his place of detention, conditions, or any legal proceedings against him, if any exist.
The organizations stated that this incident adds to a series of practices that deepen the ongoing decline in human rights protections in the region. Security cooperation between states is being used as a cover for severe violations, leading to expanded crackdowns and repression that target human rights defenders and political dissidents wherever they may be.
Furthermore, such incidents pose a direct threat to the global human rights framework, as the forced deportation and targeting of individuals beyond their home countries constitute a blatant violation of international law and set a dangerous precedent for cross-border repression.
Abdelrahman Youssef Al-Qaradawi is a poet, journalist, and prominent media figure who holds Egyptian and Turkish citizenship. He is known for his unwavering advocacy for freedom and democracy and his strong opposition to authoritarian regimes.
