Since the “UAE94” trial in 2013, Emirati authorities have regularly used collective trials to criminalize any form of peaceful dissent and human rights defense. UN experts have denounced the lack of fair trial guarantees and the detention of individuals for exercising their fundamental rights.
On Friday, 19 September 2025, during the 60th Regular Session of the Human Rights Council, CAP Liberté de Conscience delivered an oral statement on behalf of human rights defenders who are arbitrarily detained in the UAE.
The statement echoed concerns first raised during the September 2024 side event, “Arbitrary Detention in the UAE: Addressing the Crisis of Civil Society Suppression”, hosted by CAP Liberté de Conscience, where the panel highlighted the systematic use of arbitrary detention to silence civil society actors and restrict fundamental freedoms.
