Members of the international community have issued a joint letter to the UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Calling for the Release of Salim Alaradi, Kamal and Mohamed Eldarat.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
President
Ministry of Presidential Affair
May 27, 2016
Re: Letter from the International Legal Community Calling for the Release of Salim Alaradi, Kamal and Mohamed Eldarat
Your Highness,
We, the undersigned, are calling upon you as concerned international lawyers and legal to use the full power of your office to demand the immediate release of dual Canadian-Libyan citizen Salim Alaradi and American-Libyan citizens Mohamed and Kamal Eldarat, who have been detained in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for over 620 days and are in present danger of serious medical complications.
All of the victims in this case have lived in the UAE for many years, were law abiding residents, and loved their lives in the UAE until the day they were arbitrarily arrested in August 2014 by UAE State Security agents. They are currently detained in Abu Dhabi Al Wathba prison and have suffered from mistreatment by State Security officials.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that no one may be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or imprisonment, and prisoners have the right to be free from torture or mistreatment. In addition, international human rights standards require that detainees be charged and tried promptly and afforded a fair trial, pursuant to laws in force at the time of the alleged offence, all of which did not take place. The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention concluded in December 2014 that these rights have been violated and called upon the immediate release of Salim, Kamal and Mohamed. In February 2016, United Nations Special Rapporteurs on Torture, Health and the Independence of Lawyers and Judges have all condemned these violations and have also called for their immediate and unconditional release.
The families report that the individuals' health situations are grave and urgent. Consular officials have confirmed that the individuals have been denied medication and medical visits. The families are concerned that if the men remain in prison and denied appropriate medical care they will have further permanent health effects. The families report that Mohamed has already lost full hearing in his left ear, Kamal is suffering from spinal injury and loss of motion in his body, and Salim is suffering from serious heart, kidney and prostate complications.
This case has received significant public and political attention in the last year. Its facts have become a matter of public record. On May 30, 2016 a final verdict will be made without right of appeal. As members of the international legal community we call on you to take prompt and meaningful action to ensure due process and a just result is offered to these victims.
We have many hopes for the United Arab Emirates to live up to its commitment to human rights.
We respectfully request that you intervene on behalf of the wives and young children of these victims. They have every expectation that you will recognize this case as a miscarriage of justice and do everything in your power to secure their immediate return and reunite them with their families.
Sincerely,
International Defense Team for Salim Alaradi, Kamal and Mohamed Eldarat
- Mustafa Almanea, Lead lawyer on case (Libya)
- Paul Champ, Canadian Legal Councel to Salim Alaradi (Canada)
- Greg Craig, US Legal Councel to Kamal and Mohamed Eldarat (United States)
International Lawyers
- Amir Attaran, Professor, Faculty of Law & Faculty of Medicine University of Ottawa (Canada)
- Anil K. Kapoor, Kapoor Barristers (Canada)
- Arghavan Gerami, Barrister at Law and Managing Director Gerami Law (Canada)
- Audace Gatavu, Human Rights Lawyer (Burundi)
- Ezieddin Elmahjub, Professor of Law University of New England (Australia)
- Christine Johnson, Associate Lawyer Champ & Associated (Canada)
- Clayton Ruby C.M., Bencher, Law Society of Upper Canada. (Canada)
- Craig Brannaganm, Assistant Crown Attorney - Ministry of the Attorney General (Canada)
- Craig Forcese, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Ottawa (Canada)
- Craig Scott, Professor of Law, Osgoode Hall Law School of York University (Canada)
- Dr Curtis FJ Doebbler, Professor of Law (Sierra Leone)
- Daniel Carey, Associate Solicitor, Deighton Pierce Glynn (UK)
- Daniel Machover, Partner, Hickman and Rose (UK)
- David Watkinson, Barrister (non-practising) and Mediator, Garden Court Chambers (UK)
- Dennis Edney QC, Lawyer (Canada)
- Ebad Rahman, Lawyer Torys (Canada)
- Eeva Heikkilä, UK Human Rights Lawyers (UK)
- Faisal Kutty, Counsel to KSM Law and Law Professor, Valparaiso University and Osgoode Hall Law School of York University (Canada/US)
- Fahd Gamal Ismail, Lawyer (Libya)
- François Larocque, Counsel (Canada)
- Helen Mountfield QC, Barrister, Matrix Chambers (UK)
- Hugh Southey QC, Barrister, Matrix Chambers (UK)
- Idris Ahmad AlTalbi Alidrisi, Lawyer (Morocco)
- Intisar Alaqili, Lawyer (Libya)
- Jane Deighton, Senior Consultant, Deighton Pierce Glynn (UK)
- Joseph A. Irvine, Giesbrecht, Griffin, Funk & Irvine LLP (Canada)
- Kirsty Brimelow QC, Chair of Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales (UK)
- Mahdi Ibrahim, Lawyer (Libya)
- Marc Willers QC, Barrister, Garden Court Chambers (UK)
- Maureen Whelton, Partner at Stevenson Whelton MacDonald & Swan LLP (Canada)
- Michael Bossin, Lawyer, Community Legal Services Ottawa Centre
- Michael Fisher, Lawyer Raven, Cameron, Ballantyne & Yazbeck LLP (Canada)
- Moiz Alwarashfani, Lawyer (Libya)
- Pearl Eliadis, human rights lawyer; President Quebec Bar Association Human Rights Committee (Canada)
- Professor Sara Chandler QC (Hon), Vice President, European Bars Federation (UK)
- Richard Hermer QC, Barrister, Matrix Chambers (UK)
- Richard J. Lane, Barrister and Solicitor (Canada)
- Said Eldin Alhadi Mohamed, Legal Consultant (Libya)
- Saimo Chahal QC (Hon), Partner, Bindmans LLP (UK)
- Sarah Aradi, Lawyer (US)
- Sue Willman, Partner, Deighton Pierce Glynn (UK)
- Tim Otty QC, Barrister, Blackstone Chambers (UK)
- Tim Owen QC, Barrister, Matrix Chambers (UK)
- Cory Wanless, lawyer, Klippensteins Barristers & Solicitor (Canada)
- Yavar Hameed, Barrister and Solicitor Hameed Law (Canada)
cc:
H.E. Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh
Permanent Mission of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations
Twitter: @UAEMissionToUN
H.E Ambassador Obaid Salem Saeed Nasser Al Zaabi
Ambassador/Representative of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations in Geneva
Twitter: @UAEMISSIONGENF
H.E. Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba
Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to the United States
Twitter: @UAEEmbassyUS
H.E. Ambassador Mohammed Saif Helal Al Shehhi
Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to Canada
Twitter: @UAEembassyCA
H.E. Abdulrahman Ghanem Almutaiwee
Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to the United Kingdom
Twitter: @UAEEmbassyUK
H.E. Said Mohamed Al Kaabi
Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to Libya
H.E. Sohail Matar Al-Ketbi
Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to Morocco
H.E. Dr. Obaid Al Hairi Salem Al Ketbi
Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to Australia