An Irishman is today close to completing a mammoth 1800 mile walk to help save the life of his American friend. Martin Lonergan, 58, will today reach Mt Vernon.
The 58-year-old British campaigner has already walked 1750 miles in 60 days and will be passing through/reaching Woodbridge, Colchester Fort Belvoir and Mt Vernon on 6th November. The human rights non-governmental organisation Detained International, for whom Martin Lonergan works, calls on local residents to give Martin a hero's welcome to help bring USA national Zack Shahin back home to his family, who he hasn't seen for nearly 14 years.
Martin is walking a gruelling 1800 miles across the USA through stifling heat, hurricanes, tornados, and deluges of rain to raise Zack Shahin's profile. Zack is languishing in one of the world's most dangerous and squalid jails in Dubai, where the innocent American has been arbitrarily detained for 14 years. Martin met Zack in Covid-infested Al Awir jail in Dubai and promised him – and other victims of arbitrary detention – that he would do all he could after his release to help Zack get back to his family in Texas. Martin is therefore walking from Zack's family home in Houston, Texas, through as many towns and states as he can, to Washington DC, where he will meet Zacks family, legal team and British NGO Detained International, and together with the help of Bill Browder, they will file a request to the US State Department to issue (Magnitsky) sanctions against those in Dubai abusing the human rights of Zack and countless other innocent victims.
Martin Lonergan said: “This is the hardest thing I have ever done, and there were times when I struggled both physically and mentally. It has been a long hard, and lonely road on the Walk2Justice for my friends, but I gave my word, and knowing how they live, I was determined never to give up. I have felt like the invisible man on many occasions along the lonely highways, but all the people I have met have been amazing and supportive. The American people are fantastic, warm and hospitable. And to the last, are horrified at what is happening in Dubai, a supposed ally of the US.”
David Haigh, the founder of Detained International, who represented HRH Princess Latifa Al Maktoum, the daughter of the ruler of Dubai against her father said: “Martin has done his friend Zack proud. With this mammoth trek nearing the end, we are finalising our request, with the assistance of Bill Browder under Magnitsky legislation, for US sanctions against several despicable individuals in the Dubai regime of HH Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum for their grave abuses of Zacks basic human rights. These sanction requests follow our earlier submission of a complaint on behalf of Zack to the United Nations Working Group of Arbitrary Detention. However, these steps alone will not bring Zacks unjust nightmare to end. It will take worldwide media pressure on Dubai, and for US politicians and lawmakers to call for the immediate release of Zack. And we will be calling on them to do just that”.
Notes To Editors
About Zack Shahin – American Zack Shahin is the longest-serving American prisoner in a foreign jail accused of a white-collar crime. Zack has already spent 14 years in arbitrary detention in Al Awir jail for a crime he didn't commit. Innocent Zack is a 58-year-old American family man who was imprisoned in Dubai in 2008 through no fault of his own. The company [Deyaar PJSC], built by the former PepsiCo executive, was hijacked as part of an Emirati political power struggle. Zack found himself set up, a scapegoat and thrown in jail on false charges. Denied any semblance of a fair trial, enforced disappeared, subjected to torture and inhumane and degrading treatment, Zack faces the prospect of dying alone in a squalid Dubai jail. Help us to #FreeUSAZack
The #FreeUSAZack campaign has one main goal: to bring Zack Shahin back home to his family in Houston, Texas, USA, by obtaining justice for him. The campaign has been established and is being run by Zack's family, with the support of Detained International, a leading London and Washington-based NGO that provides pro bono legal advocacy to victims of injustice, inequality and other human rights violations in the UAE and the wider Middle East. The Campaign is advised by leading British human rights lawyers Rhys Davies (https://tgchambers.com/member-profile/rhys-davies) and Ben Keith (https://www.5sah.co.uk/barristers/ben-keith).
About Walk 2 Justice – Martin Lonergan. 58, is an Irish and British Citizen. The former Executive Director of the Beijing Emissions Trading Association found himself on the wrong side of Dubai's draconian and Dickensian judicial process. He was held for more than nine months held during the 2020 Covid pandemic in inhumane and degrading conditions, starved and tortured, losing over a third of his body weight, with prisoners dying around him from the disease. While in arbitrary detention, he met various other prisoners in a similar or worse situation, including Zack Shahin. Martin made them a promise; when he was released, he would fight for their freedom any way he could. Martin joined Detained International, and now he takes that fight to Washington DC on the #Walk2Justice.
Martin is walking a gruelling 1800 miles through stifling heat, hurricanes, and deluges of rain from the Houston home of Zack Shahin to Washington. Once there, he and Detained International will file a request to the US State Department to issue sanctions against those in Dubai abusing the human rights of Zack and countless other innocent victims. The goal is simple #FreeUSAZack and justice.
About Detained International: Detained International is a legal advocacy NGO that provides pro bono support to victims of injustice, inequality and other human rights violations in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, and the wider Middle East. With offices in London and Washington DC, it was founded in 2018 by UAE torture victim David Haigh, a prominent human rights lawyer and justice and equality campaigner. Detained International exists to help people in their hour of need, in many cases when they have been locked up far from home for no legitimate or even apparent reason and lack the support from obvious channels like their national embassy.
The 58-year-old British campaigner has already walked 1750 miles in 60 days and will be passing through/reaching Woodbridge, Colchester Fort Belvoir and Mt Vernon on 6th November. The human rights non-governmental organisation Detained International, for whom Martin Lonergan works, calls on local residents to give Martin a hero's welcome to help bring USA national Zack Shahin back home to his family, who he hasn't seen for nearly 14 years.
Martin is walking a gruelling 1800 miles across the USA through stifling heat, hurricanes, tornados, and deluges of rain to raise Zack Shahin's profile. Zack is languishing in one of the world's most dangerous and squalid jails in Dubai, where the innocent American has been arbitrarily detained for 14 years. Martin met Zack in Covid-infested Al Awir jail in Dubai and promised him – and other victims of arbitrary detention – that he would do all he could after his release to help Zack get back to his family in Texas. Martin is therefore walking from Zack's family home in Houston, Texas, through as many towns and states as he can, to Washington DC, where he will meet Zacks family, legal team and British NGO Detained International, and together with the help of Bill Browder, they will file a request to the US State Department to issue (Magnitsky) sanctions against those in Dubai abusing the human rights of Zack and countless other innocent victims.
Martin Lonergan said: “This is the hardest thing I have ever done, and there were times when I struggled both physically and mentally. It has been a long hard, and lonely road on the Walk2Justice for my friends, but I gave my word, and knowing how they live, I was determined never to give up. I have felt like the invisible man on many occasions along the lonely highways, but all the people I have met have been amazing and supportive. The American people are fantastic, warm and hospitable. And to the last, are horrified at what is happening in Dubai, a supposed ally of the US.”
David Haigh, the founder of Detained International, who represented HRH Princess Latifa Al Maktoum, the daughter of the ruler of Dubai against her father said: “Martin has done his friend Zack proud. With this mammoth trek nearing the end, we are finalising our request, with the assistance of Bill Browder under Magnitsky legislation, for US sanctions against several despicable individuals in the Dubai regime of HH Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum for their grave abuses of Zacks basic human rights. These sanction requests follow our earlier submission of a complaint on behalf of Zack to the United Nations Working Group of Arbitrary Detention. However, these steps alone will not bring Zacks unjust nightmare to end. It will take worldwide media pressure on Dubai, and for US politicians and lawmakers to call for the immediate release of Zack. And we will be calling on them to do just that”.
Notes To Editors
About Zack Shahin – American Zack Shahin is the longest-serving American prisoner in a foreign jail accused of a white-collar crime. Zack has already spent 14 years in arbitrary detention in Al Awir jail for a crime he didn't commit. Innocent Zack is a 58-year-old American family man who was imprisoned in Dubai in 2008 through no fault of his own. The company [Deyaar PJSC], built by the former PepsiCo executive, was hijacked as part of an Emirati political power struggle. Zack found himself set up, a scapegoat and thrown in jail on false charges. Denied any semblance of a fair trial, enforced disappeared, subjected to torture and inhumane and degrading treatment, Zack faces the prospect of dying alone in a squalid Dubai jail. Help us to #FreeUSAZack
The #FreeUSAZack campaign has one main goal: to bring Zack Shahin back home to his family in Houston, Texas, USA, by obtaining justice for him. The campaign has been established and is being run by Zack's family, with the support of Detained International, a leading London and Washington-based NGO that provides pro bono legal advocacy to victims of injustice, inequality and other human rights violations in the UAE and the wider Middle East. The Campaign is advised by leading British human rights lawyers Rhys Davies (https://tgchambers.com/member-profile/rhys-davies) and Ben Keith (https://www.5sah.co.uk/barristers/ben-keith).
About Walk 2 Justice – Martin Lonergan. 58, is an Irish and British Citizen. The former Executive Director of the Beijing Emissions Trading Association found himself on the wrong side of Dubai's draconian and Dickensian judicial process. He was held for more than nine months held during the 2020 Covid pandemic in inhumane and degrading conditions, starved and tortured, losing over a third of his body weight, with prisoners dying around him from the disease. While in arbitrary detention, he met various other prisoners in a similar or worse situation, including Zack Shahin. Martin made them a promise; when he was released, he would fight for their freedom any way he could. Martin joined Detained International, and now he takes that fight to Washington DC on the #Walk2Justice.
Martin is walking a gruelling 1800 miles through stifling heat, hurricanes, and deluges of rain from the Houston home of Zack Shahin to Washington. Once there, he and Detained International will file a request to the US State Department to issue sanctions against those in Dubai abusing the human rights of Zack and countless other innocent victims. The goal is simple #FreeUSAZack and justice.
About Detained International: Detained International is a legal advocacy NGO that provides pro bono support to victims of injustice, inequality and other human rights violations in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, and the wider Middle East. With offices in London and Washington DC, it was founded in 2018 by UAE torture victim David Haigh, a prominent human rights lawyer and justice and equality campaigner. Detained International exists to help people in their hour of need, in many cases when they have been locked up far from home for no legitimate or even apparent reason and lack the support from obvious channels like their national embassy.
