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Abu Dhabi - Ninety-four peaceful activists are due to be brought before the Federal Supreme Court in Abu Dhabi tomorrow morning, Monday 4 March 2013, on state security offences. Limited access to lawyers, withholding of evidence and details on the charges by the State Prosecution, no right to appeal the court's decision, detentions in undisclosed locations... Before the trial even began, flagrant flaws in the 'UAE94' case have been reported, recalling the irregularities which marred the case of the 'UAE5' in 2011. The refusal to allow Ms Noemie Crottaz, from the Alkarama Foundation and Mr Ahmed Nashmi Al Dhufeiri, Amnesty International lawyer, to enter the country in order to observe the trial aggravates our concerns about the fairness of this trial.
Today, the human rights record of the United Arab Emirates will be reviewed by the UN Human Rights Council as the situation in the country continues to deteriorate. On this occasion, the undersigned organisations call on Human Rights Council member-states to urge the United Arab Emirates to put an end to the current crackdown against peaceful human rights defenders and political activists and to honour its commitments as a newly elected member of the Human Rights Council to "uphold[s] the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights" (UN General Assembly resolution 50/251 para. 9).