UAE Court Sentences 43 Dissidents to Life for Allegedly Operating Terrorist Group

A UAE court sentenced 43 individuals to life imprisonment for allegedly operating a Muslim Brotherhood group with plans to commit attacks. Eleven others received lighter sentences, and six companies were convicted of money laundering. Human Rights Watch criticized the trials as fundamentally unfair. The convicted can appeal.

A United Arab Emirates (UAE) court on Wednesday sentenced 43 dissidents to life in prison for operating what it identified as a Muslim Brotherhood group aiming to commit attacks in the country, state news agency WAM reported. Eleven others received lesser sentences, and six companies were convicted of money laundering to support a terrorist organization.

A human rights coalition, including Human Rights Watch, called the convictions the result of a mass trial that was 'fundamentally unfair' and urged for them to be overturned promptly. The UAE's media office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

According to WAM, the verdict can be appealed before the UAE's Federal Supreme Court. Those convicted were members of the Justice and Dignity Committee, a local Muslim Brotherhood group, which the UAE labeled as a terrorist organization in 2014. They purportedly aimed to recreate violent events similar to protests and clashes in other Arab states.

Human Rights Watch's UAE researcher, Joey Shea, condemned the verdicts, describing the sentences as extreme and an affront to justice, further undermining the UAE's civil society. The Emirates Detainees Advocacy Center added that some individuals had previously been convicted in 2013 for similar offenses, voicing concerns over potential double jeopardy.