human rights defender
Dr.Mohammed Al-Roken
Actions and Campaigns
Dr.Mohammed Al-Roken
HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER
Organization affiliation
- Justice and Dignity Committee
HRD's year of birth
1962
HRD's Gender
Man
Type of HRD
- Lawyer
HRD's thematic area of engagement
- Civil and political rights
Current Status
In prison (sentenced)
HRD's bio and work
Dr. Mohammed Al-Roken is an internationally recognised human rights lawyer and an academic specialising in constitutional law. He holds both a Master’s degree and a PhD in Constitutional Law from the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom, and served as a professor at the United Arab Emirates University. He previously held the position of head of the Emirates Jurists Association, which the authorities arbitrarily dissolved. He has authored a number of books, written many articles, and appeared in television interviews, speaking on various topics. He was awarded the Ludovic-Trarieux International Human Rights Prize for the year 2017, in addition to other awards for his hard and dedicated work in the field of human rights. Mohamed Al-Roken was a finalist for the 2014 Front Line Defenders Award.
Detained since
Jul 17, 2012
Charge(s)
- Terrorism
Sentence
35 years in prison
Latitude: 23.680279109695626
Longitude: 54.78322063828143
Geolocation of detention
Country or area of detention
Region of detention
- Asia: Western Asia
Location of detention - City/Town
Abu Dhabi
Location of detention - Facility
Alrazeen prison
Allegations / reports of ill-treatment
While serving his sentence in Al-Razeen prison, Dr. Al-Roken was subjected to many documented violations, including being placed in a solitary cell, deprived of communication and family visits and prevented from obtaining and reading books. He was also subjected to ill-treatment and torture while in his cell. According to Dr. Al-Roken, prison officials used extreme physical and psychological torture to extract confessions. Common practices included solitary confinement under constant surveillance, exposure to bright lights day and night, and denial of basic necessities such as beds, chairs, books, and even eyeglasses. Legal consultations were heavily monitored or entirely prohibited, and prisoners were denied the right to send complaints. Dr. Al-Roken was forced public disrobing before using the bathroom and being blindfolded during bathroom visits.
In November 2015, Dr. Mohammed Al-Roken was reportedly subjected to torture in Al-Razeen prison through the use of loudspeakers blasting extremely loud music, which caused him to lose consciousness. Despite the presence of alarm bells and surveillance cameras in each cell, the guards failed to intervene. Medical examinations later revealed that the noise exposure had led to severe ear infections and dangerously high blood pressure. Following this incident, Dr. Al-Roken was placed in solitary confinement and denied visitation rights, further isolating him and exacerbating his suffering.
Recent case update / evolution
In March 2011, after a group of 133 Emirati academics, judges, lawyers, students, and human rights defenders signed a petition addressed to the President of the United Arab Emirates and the country’s Federal Supreme Council calling for democratic reforms, the UAE’s State Security Apparatus (SSA) initiated a campaign of arrests against the individuals who signed the document. Dr. Mohammed Al-Roken was arrested on July 17, 2012, as part of the “UAE94” for signing the petition calling for democratic reform in the UAE. Arrested individuals were later sentenced in the UAE’s largest mass trial, known as the “UAE94”, before the Federal Supreme Court. On January 27, 2013, the 94 defendants were charged with founding, organising and administering an organisation aimed at overthrowing the government, on the basis of article 180 of the penal code. On July 2, 2013, the Emirati authorities convicted 61 of the 94 defendants, and Al-Roken was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment followed by three years’ probation.
Al-Roken’s sentence ended in July 2022, but under the pretext of “rehabilitation needs”, pursuant to the UAE’s Counter-Terrorism Law and the Munasaha Centre Law, the authorities have extended his detention indefinitely. On December 7, 2023, a new mass trial began before the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal, where Al-Roken was retried for new terrorism charges. On 10 July 2024, the Abu Dhabi Federal Appeals Court meted out sentences ranging from between 10 years to life in prison for 53 defendants in the UAE’s second largest unfair mass trial which is known as the UAE84 case. Al-Roken was sentenced to life in prison, which is tantamount to 25 years in prison, “for the crime of establishing, founding and managing” the Justice and Dignity Committee, allegedly “with the aim of committing terrorist acts on the country’s soil”.
Attachments
Documented by
- Country(ies) of nationality
- HRD's year of birth
- 1962
- HRD's Gender
- Man
- Type of HRD
- Lawyer
- HRD's thematic area of engagement
- Civil and political rights
- Organization affiliation
- Justice and Dignity Committee
- HRD's Picture
- HRD's bio and work
Dr. Mohammed Al-Roken is an internationally recognised human rights lawyer and an academic specialising in constitutional law. He holds both a Master’s degree and a PhD in Constitutional Law from the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom, and served as a professor at the United Arab Emirates University. He previously held the position of head of the Emirates Jurists Association, which the authorities arbitrarily dissolved. He has authored a number of books, written many articles, and appeared in television interviews, speaking on various topics. He was awarded the Ludovic-Trarieux International Human Rights Prize for the year 2017, in addition to other awards for his hard and dedicated work in the field of human rights. Mohamed Al-Roken was a finalist for the 2014 Front Line Defenders Award.
- Country or area of detention
- Region of detention
- Asia: Western Asia
- Location of detention - City/Town
- Abu Dhabi
- Location of detention - Facility
- Alrazeen prison
- Geolocation of detention
Latitude: 23.680279109695626
Longitude: 54.78322063828143
- Geolocation of detention
- Detained since
- Jul 17, 2012
- Current Status
- In prison (sentenced)
- Charge(s)
- Terrorism
- Sentence
35 years in prison
- Recent case update / evolution
In March 2011, after a group of 133 Emirati academics, judges, lawyers, students, and human rights defenders signed a petition addressed to the President of the United Arab Emirates and the country’s Federal Supreme Council calling for democratic reforms, the UAE’s State Security Apparatus (SSA) initiated a campaign of arrests against the individuals who signed the document. Dr. Mohammed Al-Roken was arrested on July 17, 2012, as part of the “UAE94” for signing the petition calling for democratic reform in the UAE. Arrested individuals were later sentenced in the UAE’s largest mass trial, known as the “UAE94”, before the Federal Supreme Court. On January 27, 2013, the 94 defendants were charged with founding, organising and administering an organisation aimed at overthrowing the government, on the basis of article 180 of the penal code. On July 2, 2013, the Emirati authorities convicted 61 of the 94 defendants, and Al-Roken was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment followed by three years’ probation.
Al-Roken’s sentence ended in July 2022, but under the pretext of “rehabilitation needs”, pursuant to the UAE’s Counter-Terrorism Law and the Munasaha Centre Law, the authorities have extended his detention indefinitely. On December 7, 2023, a new mass trial began before the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal, where Al-Roken was retried for new terrorism charges. On 10 July 2024, the Abu Dhabi Federal Appeals Court meted out sentences ranging from between 10 years to life in prison for 53 defendants in the UAE’s second largest unfair mass trial which is known as the UAE84 case. Al-Roken was sentenced to life in prison, which is tantamount to 25 years in prison, “for the crime of establishing, founding and managing” the Justice and Dignity Committee, allegedly “with the aim of committing terrorist acts on the country’s soil”.
- Allegations / reports of ill-treatment
While serving his sentence in Al-Razeen prison, Dr. Al-Roken was subjected to many documented violations, including being placed in a solitary cell, deprived of communication and family visits and prevented from obtaining and reading books. He was also subjected to ill-treatment and torture while in his cell. According to Dr. Al-Roken, prison officials used extreme physical and psychological torture to extract confessions. Common practices included solitary confinement under constant surveillance, exposure to bright lights day and night, and denial of basic necessities such as beds, chairs, books, and even eyeglasses. Legal consultations were heavily monitored or entirely prohibited, and prisoners were denied the right to send complaints. Dr. Al-Roken was forced public disrobing before using the bathroom and being blindfolded during bathroom visits.
In November 2015, Dr. Mohammed Al-Roken was reportedly subjected to torture in Al-Razeen prison through the use of loudspeakers blasting extremely loud music, which caused him to lose consciousness. Despite the presence of alarm bells and surveillance cameras in each cell, the guards failed to intervene. Medical examinations later revealed that the noise exposure had led to severe ear infections and dangerously high blood pressure. Following this incident, Dr. Al-Roken was placed in solitary confinement and denied visitation rights, further isolating him and exacerbating his suffering.
- Protection actions and campaigns
- Documented by
- Consent status
- Consent to register, store and publish the information
Supporting files
sorted by
Date added
12 relationships, 11 entities