Lawyer and professor Dr Mohammed al-Roken was jailed for 10 years following a huge crackdown on political and human rights activists in the United Arab Emirates.
He was one of 69 people convicted of forming a secret organization aimed at overthrowing the government, following a blatantly unfair mass trial of 94 activists.
In the run-up to the trial, Mohammed
and his co-defendants – known as the ‘UAE 94’ – were denied access to a
lawyer and kept in solitary confinement. Some told the judge they had
been tortured, and “confessions” obtained through torture were used as
evidence in court. They were all denied the right to appeal, which
contravenes international law.
His conviction followed years of
harassment and intimidation from the authorities. Then, in March 2011,
he and 132 others – including academics, judges and students – signed a
petition calling for democratic reform in the UAE. The government
responded with a fierce attack on activists, including waves of arrests.
As a lawyer, Mohammed took on human
rights cases nobody else would touch. He has long been a supporter of
Amnesty but now faces prison for working tirelessly to defend people’s
human rights.
Together we can get justice for Dr Mohammed al-Roken – Please take actionMohammed is one of 12 people and communities we’re focusing on as part of Write for Rights, our global letter-writing campaign. Right now, their human rights are under attack. We need your support to make change happen – read their stories and take action today. www.amnesty.org/writeforrights
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The action 'UAE: Release Human Rights Activist Mohammed Al-Roken' is now closed.
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