GNV News 2025/4/25

In January 2025, authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) designated 11 dissidents and their relatives, as well as eight companies they own, as “terrorists,” alleging ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. Under the counterterrorism law the UAE enacted in 2014, individuals and groups critical of the government can be labeled as terrorists without objective evidence and convicted, including receiving death sentences. Once designated, asset freezes and confiscation are imposed immediately, and contacting anyone on the list may be punishable by life imprisonment. In this case, no prior notice or opportunity to rebut was provided, resulting in sudden, major economic losses for the companies. Moreover, nine of those designated have never been convicted of or charged with terrorism offenses, and the list even includes relatives who have not engaged in political activity or made public statements in defense of human rights. As for the remaining two, their convictions or charges have been flagged as issued under questionable circumstances. In addition, all eight companies included on the terrorist list are registered in the United Kingdom and are owned by dissidents in exile or their relatives.

Such excessively broad and arbitrary application of counterterrorism laws constitutes human rights violations and is seen as aiming both to silence dissent domestically and internationally and to coerce exiles to return by pressuring their families. In 2024, more than 80 human rights defenders and political dissidents were put on trial; 43 received life sentences for terrorism offenses and 10 received long prison terms. Despite mounting international criticism of these unjust mass trials, the authorities’ hardline stance has not changed.

Behind this is the history of the UAE authorities viewing the Muslim Brotherhood as the greatest political threat. Founded in Egypt in 1928, the Brotherhood has espoused Islamism while working on social reform and democratization, putting it at odds with the UAE system that maintains a monarchy. Especially since the so-called “Arab Spring” that began in 2010, pro-democracy movements have spread to the Gulf states, and together with the support for the Brotherhood from Turkey and Qatar, the vigilance of the UAE authorities has intensified further.

Learn more about the UAE → “UAE: A Small Regional Power” 

Learn more about the Muslim Brotherhood → “Egypt: Behind Regime Preservation”

Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates

(Photo: Presidential Executive Office of Russia / Wikimedia Commons [CC BY 4.0])