Today marks the launch of the second World Tolerance Summit in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) under the lead of the Prime Minister and ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The event, taking place in Dubai, will give the floor to dozens of participants to “analyse issues vital to the promotion of tolerance and peaceful co-existence, and its impact on the social fabric of the society.”
Ahead of the Summit, human rights organisations have multiplied the actions calling upon the UAE to put an end to the repressive practices and comply with its international human rights obligations. The Association for Victims of Torture in the UAE (AVTUAE) signed on an open letter calling for the release of human rights defender Ahmed Mansoor on his 50thbirthday. Mansoor is a prominent Emirati human rights defender, arrested in March 2017 and detained in solitary confinement at Al-Sadr prison since. Rights organisations have reported that the activist was subjected to torture and ill-treatment.
On November 12, the AVTUAE joined an action calling for the release of the prominent lawyer and human rights defender Dr Mohammed Al-Roken, detained for 7 years for his peaceful activism. 29 signatories called upon the Emirati government to immediately and unconditionally release Dr Al-Roken, who has been known internationally for his peaceful activism and his commitment to promote human rights cause in the UAE.
The Association for Victims of Torture in the UAE (AVTUAE) and 28 other personalities and organisations issued an open letter, calling upon the UAE authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Dr Mohammed Al-Roken. They expressed deep concerns about the human rights situation in the country and stressed the urgent need to address it without delay and implement the values of tolerance.
In October, the AVTUAE and other organisations launched a campaign to call upon the participants of the World Tolerance Summit to boycott the event. An open letter signed by 23 signatories was addressed to the participants of the Summit on October 28, calling on them to cancel their participation, given the UAE’s appalling human rights record. The letter highlighted the situation of prisoners of conscience and the grave violations committed by the Emirati authorities in Yemen.
The AVTUAE has lately learned that eight of the international speakers have pulled out of the event and welcomes their decisions. The Association further calls upon the participants attending the event to have a thought for the victims of the authorities’ repression. It is imperative that the speakers make a statement at the Summit to condemn the human rights violations and ask the government to take effective steps to address the human rights situation without delay. Remaining silent and speaking about hypothetical tolerance in the UAE while prisoners of conscience are held in appalling conditions is nothing but an active support to the UAE to whitewash their practices.
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