Dear Reader, Dear Friends, Colleagues, and Supporters,
Today, Women Journalists Without Chains (WJWC) has released a critical new investigative report: "The UAE's Counter-Terrorism Law: A Tool for Settling Political Scores?"
This in-depth analysis reveals how the United Arab Emirates is using its counter-terrorism legislation not to ensure security, but as a systematic weapon to silence human rights defenders, suppress peaceful dissent, and violate its core international human rights obligations.
Our investigation found that the law is built on a foundation of vague and dangerous definitions that turn peaceful expression into terrorism. Terms like “hostility to the state” are used to imprison activists, while the state grants itself unchecked power to monitor, arrest, and detain individuals indefinitely.
Key Findings from Our Investigation:
• Criminalizing Dissent: The law’s definitions are so broad that they allow for the prosecution of peaceful critics, protesters, and civil society organizations for non-violent acts.
• Denial of Fair Trials: Detainees are held for prolonged periods, often in secret, with restricted access to lawyers. We have documented a clear pattern of confessions extracted through torture, in direct violation of the Convention against Torture.
• The Injustice of "Counseling Centers": The state is using so-called "counseling centers" to hold political prisoners indefinitely, even after they have served their full sentences. This is arbitrary detention, plain and simple.
• Collective Punishment: In a shocking practice, authorities are revoking the citizenship of dissidents and their innocent family members, making them stateless and stripping them of their identity and rights.
• Breaching International Law: These practices are a flagrant violation of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights and the UAE's commitments as a party to the UN Convention against Torture.
Our Recommendations and Call to Action:
This report is not just an analysis; it is a call for urgent action. We demand that the UAE authorities:
Immediately review and amend the counter-terrorism law to align with international human rights standards.
Abolish the system of indefinite detention through "counseling centers."
Ensure judicial independence and guarantee fair trial rights for all.
Conduct independent investigations into all allegations of torture.
Ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights without delay.
We also call on the international community—especially the UAE's Western allies—to stop turning a blind eye. All trade, security, and partnership agreements must be tied to concrete and measurable human rights reforms.
Download the full report click here
Thank you for standing with us in defense of justice, freedom, and human dignity.
Sincerely,
Women Journalists Without Chains (WJWC)
[www.wjwc.org]
For previous reports and further insights, please refer to the following links:
- Gaza’s Disappearance: WJWC Report Documents 100 Days of Fragmentation, Destruction, and Displacement
- WJWC Report: 60,000 Political Prisoners Held Without Trial in Egypt
- WJWC Report Sheds Light on Grave Violations in Iraqi Prisons
- 75 Violations Against Journalists in Yemen Reported in 2024
- Press Freedom in Libya: Walking Through a Minefield
-Alarming Press Freedom Erosion in Yemen in 2023
-Uncertain Fate of Press Freedom in MENA
-Egypt's Independent Press: Under Siege
- UAE: Suffocating Space for Independent Media
- Media Landscape in Iran: The Walls of Shame
- WJWC Releases 2022 Report on Press Freedom in MENA
- Morocco's Press Freedom at Risk: Concerns of Erosion and Bleak Future
