Mr. Hassan Ahmed Hassan Al-DIQQI, born in Sharjah on the 3rd of January 1957, trained as an expert accountant and has held various responsibilities within his country’s administration before establishing himself as an independent expert with the courts.

For over twenty years Mr. Al-Diqqi has campaigned for political reforms in his country in various associations not recognised by the State authorities. In particular, he was one of the founders, in the 1980s, of the organisation  “Association for Social Reform”.

Mr. Al-Diqqi worked with our organization and has transmitted cases of violations of human rights in the United Arab Emirates to us.

Two years ago, Mr. Al-Diqqi created his own organisation for the defence of human rights, unrecognised by the authorities, called the Emirates People Rights Organization (PRO Emirates), , known in the country through its website on which he denounces the lack of civil liberties and political abuses and violations of various rights of his co-citizens: http://www.emiratespro.com.

The contents of his "weekly letters" is indicative of his legalistic and pacifist struggle against the arbitrary application of the legal code, and for the establishment of the rule of law; including:

1. "The prohibition of politics in the Emirates"
2. "About the condemnation of the engineer Abdallah Al-Sbihat Allili: The state, judge and jury"
3. "Serene thoughts on the amendment of the penal code in the Emirates"
4. "Analysis of the political and security situation in the Emirates"
5. "The Democratic Declaration in the Emirates: Between limited transition and the high hopes raised."

Mr. Al-Diqqi was arrested on Sunday, July 20, 2008 in Sharjah and taken to the State security forces’ quarters. According to our sources, it was proposed he stop all political activity and close his website under penalty of being prosecuted in connection to a false rape case, which he refused.

He was then taken the Central prison where he is currently detained. Information regarding his arrest has not been officially communicated to his family by the authorities, but was reported in an unsigned article published Thursday, July 24 2008 in the daily Al-Imarat Al-Yawm, a daily newspaper close to the government, which depicts him as the perpetrator of a crime of rape committed three years ago against a Philippine citizen, for which he was sentenced to death in absentia.

Another unsigned newspaper article from the daily "Al Itihhad" also close to the authorities, published Saturday, July 26, was obviously aiming to discredit him by presenting him as "the initiator of a website which aims to politicize his case which is of a criminal nature ".

Mr. Al-Diqqi confirmed during a visit in prison that he is currently being blackmailed by the authorities since his arrest and that he has been asked to close his website and desist from any activity in defence of human rights in his country in exchange for his release.

Alkarama fears that Mr. Al-Diqqi is a victim of a fraudulent criminal prosecution undertaken by the authorities for the sole purpose of discrediting a known national human rights activist and to force him to cease all activity.

The timing of the arrest of Mr. Al-Diqqi is not coincidental, since it has taken place a few months before the December 2008 review of the human rights situation (Universal Periodic Review) in the United Arab Emirates before the 3rd session of the Human Rights Council.

For these reasons, there is no doubt that the arrest and detention of Mr. Al-Diqqi is motivated exclusively by his use of the right to speak freely and peacefully express his political views, and to denounce human rights abuses and violations in his country.

Mr. Al-Diqqi’s current deprivation of liberty for exercising a right which is universally recognized is, in these conditions, is contrary to the provisions of Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which guarantees freedom of opinion and expression, and constitutes a breach of this universal principle by the respondent State.