Another reformer activist is arrested for a second day in a row in the UAE
Cairo 26 March 2012

ANHRI condemns the orchestrated  campaign structured to arrest activists taking place in the United Arab Emirates, where Abu Dhabi security authorities in the Emirate arrested today the activist Ahmed bin Ghaith Al Sowaidi from a gas station and took him to Al Rahba police station without any reasons declared so far.  Al Sowaidi was surrounded by police cars and men for two hours and half refusing to be arrested without legal prosecution permission. He who is a petrol engineer is one of the 7 advocates of reform whom UAE withdrew their nationality arbitrarily in December 2011, after they signed a reform petition directed to the ruler of the UAE in March 2011 calling him to undertake reforms in the legislature to ensure a fair election of the National Council. As this is not enough, authorities have been tracing them and threatening them as what happened with the other activist Al Siddiq who was arrested for no reason and then released after few hours.

ANHRI said: “the orchestrated campaign structured to arrest activists taking place in the United Arab Emirates is a violation for human rights that protect freedom of opinion and expression for all peaceful citizens of all views and orientations. Therefore, ANHRI calls for the immediate release of Al Siddiq and all prisoners of conscience in the UAE, and the re-consideration of the withdrawal of nationality against him and the rest of the seven reformers, and to ensure a fair trial for them, if it is proven what the authorities claimed as reasons to judge them.

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