Two days ago, Osama Al Najjar, a 25 year-old architectural engineer, was arrested on the road by several men in civilian clothes on his way back home from a visit to his doctor at around 4 pm. Osama is now being held in an unknown location outside the protection of the law. Given the systematic use of torture in detention centres controlled by the Emirati security services, Alkarama solicited the urgent intervention of the UN Special Rapporteur of torture today to ensure that Osama Al Najjar is not subjected to any torture or ill-treatment, and is immediately released.

Dr Abdulrahmane Al Jaidah, a Qatari doctor arrested one year ago at Dubai international Airport by the State Security Services, was sentenced to seven years imprisonment following an unfair trial on 3 March 2014 by the Abu Dhabi Federal Supreme Court for "helping an illegal secret organisation". He is currently imprisoned in Al-Razeen prison, the same detention facility where some of the UAE94 are being unlawfully detained. Today, Alkarama asked the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention to intervene with the UAE authorities to request his immediate release.

Jamal Al Hammadi, a teacher of Islamic education from Khor Fakkan abducted on 20 April 2013 by state security services, was last seen 5 February 2014 in Abu Dhabi's State Security prison. A group of detainees recently transferred from this prison facility reported that Jamal was being detained there in very harsh conditions. Jamal is the brother of Fuad Mohammed Al Hammadi, one of the "UAE94", serving a 10-year sentence in Al-Razeen prison following a grossly unfair trial. "Considering the reports of systematic torture in centres of detention in the UAE, we have great concerns that Mr Al Hammadi's continued incommunicado detention is being used to dissimulate the torture and ill-treatment he is allegedly being subjected to", said Alkarama. Today, Alkarama sought the urgent intervention of the UN Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearance with the Emirati authorities to ensure Mr Al Hammadi is immediately released or at the very least, placed under the protection of the law.