It has recently been reported that five activists are being held in custody in the United Arab Emirates for insulting Emirati rulers and "perpetrating acts that pose a threat to state security." These accusations might lead one to think that the five are violent criminals plotting unspeakable terrorist acts in an attempt to overthrow the government. As it turns out, however, their "crime" is simply having petitioned the UAE rulers for a more equitable distribution of the country's oil wealth and universal suffrage for the Emirati people. Amnesty International has described the five activists as "prisoners of conscience."
To read a recent article about the arrests log onto the following site:
http://en.news.maktoob.com/20090000708456/UAE_confirms_five_activists_held_in_custody/Article.htm
No comments:
Post a Comment