The actual crime these five Emiratis are being accused of is not a conspiracy to commit an act of terrorism or a plot to commit fraud, but instead, these five citizens are facing imprisonment and heavy fines for "crimes including insulting the President, Vice President, and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
Salim Saeed Kubaish, the Attorney General of the Emirates, said that the five were being investigated for "crimes of instigation, breaking the law and perpetrating acts that pose threats to state security," among other reasons.
One of the Emiratis arrested, Abdullah al Shehi, is the head of a group, the Al Shahouh Folklore Society, which has petitioned for universal suffrage in the upcoming FNC elections.
These arrests are a sure sign that the UAE is not as free as it may appear on the surface. Although it is considerably liberal when compared to some of the other Middle Eastern nations, the UAE is still clearly not one of the countries looking for a complete democratic political system.
I must admit I was utterly surprised with the fact that these guys are considered security threats not because of a plot to kill someone or a plan to form an attack. I didn't think that criticizing the President could be really classified as a threat to security, so I guess that does really show how UAE is not so perfect as they look on the outside. It shows how much power the leaders really have and how they can turn anything around on anyone. Is this group potentially dangerous for such attacks or are they more verbal than anything else?
ReplyDeleteI think the UAE is a very interesting state. Although I have never really learned much about it or heard much about it in way of news, it is a very intriguing and important area. I think that you are correct in inferring that on the surface it may seem to be a freer, more liberal state than any other middle eastern region, however obviously they also appear to be questionable when it comes to the whole human rights thing. I think it is very intersting that only a small fraction of the pop are actually citizens of the country. I wouldnt mind living there looks pretty awesome. Because my state is Afghanitan i also wonder about how other middle eastern nations have it better. I guess the only answer to that is oil money.
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