Around 25 activists staged a rare protest during the COP28 U.N. climate summit in Dubai, demanding the release of imprisoned pro-democracy activists in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Egypt. The demonstrators held up pictures of Emirati prisoners Ahmed Mansoor and Mohamed al-Siddiq, as well as Egyptian-British political activist Alaa Abdel Fattah. This protest is considered historic in the UAE, which has strict limitations on public dissent and prohibits organized groups like political parties and labor unions. The UAE had agreed to allow protests within the summit site under U.N. guidelines. Human Rights Watch described the demonstration as a milestone.
The protest, held on Saturday, took place in the COP28 summit site in Dubai, where the U.N. climate summit is being held. The activists gathered to call for the release of imprisoned pro-democracy activists in the UAE and Egypt. Holding up pictures of Ahmed Mansoor, Mohamed al-Siddiq, and Alaa Abdel Fattah, they demanded justice for these individuals.
The significance of the protest lies in the fact that the UAE has strict restrictions on public dissent, making it rare for such demonstrations to take place. Political parties and labor unions are banned in the country. Human Rights Watch described the protest as historic, as it challenges the country’s limited tolerance for public defiance.
As part of the agreement to host COP28, the UAE allowed demonstrations within the summit site under U.N. guidelines. While most protests have occurred within the blue zone of the summit, which is under U.N. control and not subjected to local laws, this demonstration took place in the UAE itself.
An Emirati official acknowledged the UAE’s stance, saying, In the spirit of inclusivity, peaceful assemblies in designated areas have been and continue to be welcomed. However, the official also stated that the UAE does not comment on individual cases following judicial sentences, indicating a reluctance to address the issue directly.
The names of the political prisoners highlighted in the protest—Ahmed Mansoor, Mohamed al-Siddiq, and Alaa Abdel Fattah—are not commonly spoken in the UAE. According to Joey Shea, a Saudi Arabia and UAE researcher at Human Rights Watch, their release has never been publicly demanded in this manner before.
Ahmed Mansoor was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2018 on charges that included using social media to harm national unity and social harmony, as well as damaging the country’s reputation. Mohamed al-Siddiq and 68 others were convicted in 2013 of planning to overthrow the UAE government in a trial Amnesty International deemed grossly unfair. Alaa Abdel Fattah, who has faced multiple detentions since Egypt’s 2011 Arab Spring uprising, received a five-year prison sentence in 2021 for spreading fake news.
Unlike previous U.N. climate talks, such as COP26 in Glasgow in 2021 and COP21 in Paris in 2015, where large-scale protests took place, there have been no demonstrations outside the COP28 venue in Dubai.
This news article has been generated by AI and may not accurately reflect recent events or developments.
