Complaint filed with UN over UAE detention of Sudanese comedian in coordination with RSF militants

A US-based human rights lawyer, Suad Abdel Aziz, has filed a formal complaint with the OHCHR Working Group on Arbitrary Detention following the detention and interrogation of a Sudanese comedian Muiad Saeed in the UAE. Saeed was first arrested in June 2025 by RSF militants and UAE security agents in Ajman, UAE. He was held and questioned exclusively over content critical of the RSF, and subjected to intimidation tactics consistent with psychological torture.

On 15 November 2025, Mr Saeed fled from the UAE with his family to Morocco. Since then, he has been subjected to online threats and messages warning, “Happy stay in Morocco, Morocco is in our hands.” The complaint filed to the UN rights body states there is growing UAE transnational repression targeting Sudanese diaspora voices.

“This marks one of the first formal UN complaints documenting what appears to be direct security coordination between the UAE and the RSF to silence Sudanese critics abroad,” said Suad Abdel Aziz, counsel on the case.

“Unlike most cases we’ve seen where individuals are targeted for criticism of the Emirati government, my client never mentioned the UAE— he was detained, interrogated and threatened solely for criticising the Rapid Support Forces. That distinction is critical- it indicates a deeply troubling level of direct coordination between the UAE’s security apparatus and the RSF militia to suppress Sudanese dissent.”

The submission warns that this case represents a dangerous precedent for Sudanese people living in the UAE and across the diaspora, especially those immediately displaced by the UAE-backed genocide, and urgently calls for immediate protective measures.