Bin Ghaith starts new hunger strike to protest ill-treatment

The International Centre for Justice and Human Rights has said that Emirati economist and academic, Dr. Nasser bin Ghaith, began a new hunger strike on 25 February to protest ill-treatment at Abu Dhabi’s notorious Al-Razin prison.

The Centre held in a statement the Emirati authorities and the prison administration fully responsible for the deterioration of bin Ghaith’s health and any lack of medical follow-up for hunger strikers.

The Centre called on the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression and the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms as well as other UN agencies and human rights organisations to pressure the Emirati authorities to release bin Ghaith and stop violating his rights and the rights of other prisoners.

Read: British national detained without charge for 6 months in UAE

The centre also called on the Emirati authorities to open a serious and independent investigation into the allegations of torture and ill-treatment that have affected the dignity as well as physical and psychological wellbeing of bin Ghaith, and to hold those found guilty responsible for their actions.

In March 2017 the Abu Dhabi Court of Appeals sentenced bin Ghaith to 10 years in prison for criticising the Egyptian regime’s violations of human rights and accused him of attempting to hurt the UAE’s relations with Egypt.

One month later bin Ghaith went on hunger strike and issued an open letter in which he said that he will not appeal his verdict in order not to give further legitimacy to the court’s behaviour towards him and other human rights defenders. However in his letter, bin Ghaith said he will start a hunger strike to protest the court ruling.