Human rights groups urge U.S. to press UAE to respect human rights in run-up to COP28
Group asked U.S. to secure the release of Ahmed Mansoor and other detained human rights activists from UAE prisons
WASHINGTON – A coalition of 19 human rights groups has called on the U.S. to pressure the United Arab Emirates to release human rights activists ahead of the U.N. Climate Change Summit or COP28 scheduled for November in Dubai.
The group specifically asked Secretary of State Antony Blinken to raise the issue with UAE authorities and secure the release of Ahmed Mansoor and other detained human rights activists.
The groups say the UAE has a “terrible human rights record” and that the U.S. government has not done enough to hold them accountable.
“We realize that U.S. relations with the UAE are multifaceted, including strategic military and political ties,” the groups, including Amnesty International USA, Gulf Center for Human Rights (GCHR), and Human Rights Watch (HRW), wrote to the top U.S. diplomat.
“Unfortunately, U.S. government’s attention to the UAE’s terrible human rights record has long been woefully lacking.”
They said Mansoor, who has been held in solitary confinement for six years, has no access to reading materials, television, or radio.
Since December 2017, he has been denied eyeglasses, most personal hygiene items, and, at least until recently, a bed or mattress in his cell.
The groups are calling for peaceful gatherings and the unification of all participants of all nationalities before, during and after COP28.
The groups call on Blinken to take action to ensure that the UAE meets its human rights obligations and to underscore the importance of a thriving, independent civil society for climate action.
“As the world’s attention is on the UAE ahead of COP28, the U.S. government has an important opportunity to press the Emirati government to take concrete steps to adhere to its human rights obligations and to underscore the importance of thriving, independent civil society to climate action,” the coalition said.
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