G4S yesterday committed to look into its contracts with the UAE justice department to ensure it was in no way involved in torture or ill-treatment of detainees, the International Campaign for Freedom in the UAE (ICFUAE) said.
Speaking at the company’s AGM yesterday, G4S CEO Ashley Almanza initially responded that the company was satisfied that its activities in the “UAE were legitimate and lawful”.
However, after ICFUAE discussed issues relating to ongoing cases of mistreatment in Emirati jails, Almanza said he would investigate whether the company was in any way involved in such activity. He added that the company was responsible for its services and could not guarantee what others did.
G4S’s is involved in justice services including the police in the UAE. The UAE G4S website says that the company is “effectively managing and caring for the offender population and preparing them for their future in society.” With very little specificity about the contracts that G4S are involved in in the UAE.
The Emirati justice system and the police have been widely criticised by international bodies from the UN through to NGOs such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
A UN report issued in February 2015 raised serious concerns about the UAE justice system. The Special Rapporteur reported a number of cases of torture and ill-treatment of detainees in prisons. It said more than 200 cases of torture had been reported to the courts in the UAE.
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