UAE tops UN list of repressive countries around world

NEW YORK, Oct. 04 (YPA) – The UAE has topped a list issued by the United Nations of repressive countries around the world, which are witnessing systematic targeting of opinion activists and human rights defenders.

The United Nations included the UAE among a list of 42 countries where reprisals and intimidation are practiced against people and groups because of their cooperation with the United Nations in the field of human rights.

According to the UN report, these practices include detaining people, targeting them with restrictive laws, and monitoring both online and offline.

All cases highlighted in the report entitled “Cooperation with the United Nations, its representatives and mechanisms in the field of human rights” covered the period from May 1, 2021 and April 30, 2022.

The cases concerned individuals and groups who cooperated with UN human rights mechanisms, or used UN procedures to share information and testimonies and to seek redress for human rights violations and abuses.

The annual report of the UN Secretary-General details how people – particularly victims of human rights violations, human rights defenders and journalists – have been subjected to reprisals and intimidation by state and non-state actors.

“Despite positive developments, including commitments by Member States and joint commitments against reprisals,” Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Elsie Brands-Keres said. “The report shows once again to what extent people are being persecuted and repressed for raising human rights concerns with the United Nations. We know that while the number is shocking, many reprisals have not even been reported.”

According to the report, people who tried to cooperate with the UN were affected or were seen to do so.

In a third of the countries mentioned in the report, individuals and groups either refrained from cooperating or only agreed to report their cases anonymously for fear of reprisals.

Reports of surveillance of individuals and groups – cooperating with the UN – continued in all regions as evidence of online surveillance and cyber-attacks mounted, the report said.