The United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates have an extradition treaty that must be suspended. Until the UAE proves, it can provide fair trials and the protection of Human Rights as required by the European Convention of Human Rights and Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
UK suspended the extradition treatment between Hong Kong and the UK. Foreign secretary Dominic Rabb Raab told MPs, the UK had suspended the extradition treaty “immediately and indefinitely” And “We would not consider reactivating those arrangements. Unless and until there are clear and robust safeguards, which would prevent extradition from the UK being misused under the new national security legislation”.
Thanks to the good sense of UK-based British judges in the extradition courts. It has been more than a decade since anyone was extradited from the UK to the UAE. There have been plenty of requests. The seven Emirates are very trigger-happy when it comes to using international legal channels to ask for people to be delivered to the Gulf. Who have committed no crime but are a thorn in the UAE’s side or influential person resident there. Abuse of the treaty is rife, as are the conditions under which requested persons can be sent. No-one has been extradited for so long because it has become clear that anyone extradited will not get a fair hearing. And that there is a real risk of torture and discrimination. The person is likely to be held in squalid prison conditions, with little or no legal or humanitarian support.
Given that the treaty is not used, it should be at least suspended, if not abolished. Suspension is fine if there is a reasonable expectation that the Emirates are moving towards a justice system that offers accused people fair trials and appropriate detention conditions. Unfortunately, there is no sense that the UAE is moving in this direction. In fact, the number of arbitrary arrests and detentions is increasing.
HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS, RISK OF TORTURE, DISCRIMINATION AND UNFAIR TRIALS ARE RIFE WITHIN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES JUSTICE SYSTEM, AND ANY PERSON BEING EXTRADITED FROM THE UK TO FACE TRIAL OR PUNISHMENT IN THE UAE IS LIKELY TO BE DEPRIVED OF THEIR BASIC RIGHTS AND DIGNITY. JOIN THE CAMPAIGN OF DETAINED INTERNATIONAL TO PETITION THE UNITED KINGDOM PARLIAMENT TO SUSPEND THE EXTRADITION TREATY BETWEEN THE UK AND THE UAE.
