human rights defender
Dr. Mohammed Al-Mansoori
Actions and Campaigns
Dr. Mohammed Al-Mansoori
HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER
Urgent support needed
Al-Mansoori's health has significantly deteriorated in prison.
Organization affiliation
- Justice and Dignity Committee
- United Arab Emirates Jurists’ Association
HRD's year of birth
1957
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-Mansoori is a human rights lawyer and advocate, holding a PhD in Law from the University of Glasgow (2002). He previously served as Chief of Staff at the Office of the Crown Prince of Ras Al Khaimah, and as the Sharia and Legal Advisor to the Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah. He also served as the head of the United Arab Emirates Jurists’ Association, which was disbanded by the UAE authorities. He was ranked by the American magazine Foreign Policy as one of the world's "Knights of Freedom," alongside Dr. Mohammed Al-Roken.
Detained since
Jul 16, 2012
Charge(s)
- Terrorism
Sentence
35 years
Latitude: 23.68005
Longitude: 54.78203
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
Al-Razeen prison
Allegations / reports of ill-treatment
Al-Mansoori was forcibly disappeared for 231 days, held in an undisclosed location where he endured continuous torture. His pretrial detention cell lacked both windows and furniture; it was also continuously lit so as to disorient him and disrupt his sleeping patterns. The violations extended to his family, as the authorities fabricated charges against his 23-year-old daughter, Moza Al-Mansoori, leading to her unjust sentencing to three months in prison. Along with other prisoners of conscience, Al-Mansoori faced relentless abuse and invasive searches, exacerbating their physical deprivation and psychological distress. Guards routinely assaulted the prisoners, subjecting Al-Mansoori to beatings and confiscating his personal belongings such as clothes, toiletries, and notebooks. Prison officials have allegedly also forced Dr. Al-Mansoori to stay in solitary confinement for extended periods of time. These conditions led Dr. Al-Mansoori to develop symptoms of acute sleep deprivation, including increased nervousness, irritability, anorexia, weight loss, muscle weakness, short-term memory loss, high blood pressure, dementia, and an immune system disorder. Al-Mansoori was prompted as a result of this ill-treatment to go on a hunger strike. As a result of his hunger strike, which he undertook to demand his rights, his health has significantly deteriorated.
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. Al-Mansoori was arrested on July 16, 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-Mansoori was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment followed by three years probation. Al-Mansoori’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-Mansoori 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-Mansoori 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
- 1957
- HRD's Gender
- Man
- Type of HRD
- Lawyer
- HRD's thematic area of engagement
- Civil and political rights
- Organization affiliation
- Justice and Dignity Committee
- United Arab Emirates Jurists’ Association
- HRD's Picture
- HRD's bio and work
Dr. Mohammed Al-Mansoori is a human rights lawyer and advocate, holding a PhD in Law from the University of Glasgow (2002). He previously served as Chief of Staff at the Office of the Crown Prince of Ras Al Khaimah, and as the Sharia and Legal Advisor to the Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah. He also served as the head of the United Arab Emirates Jurists’ Association, which was disbanded by the UAE authorities. He was ranked by the American magazine Foreign Policy as one of the world's "Knights of Freedom," alongside Dr. Mohammed Al-Roken.
- Country or area of detention
- Region of detention
- Asia: Western Asia
- Location of detention - City/Town
- Abu Dhabi
- Location of detention - Facility
- Al-Razeen prison
- Geolocation of detention
Latitude: 23.68005
Longitude: 54.78203
- Geolocation of detention
- Detained since
- Jul 16, 2012
- Current Status
- In prison (sentenced)
- Charge(s)
- Terrorism
- Sentence
35 years
- 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. Al-Mansoori was arrested on July 16, 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-Mansoori was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment followed by three years probation. Al-Mansoori’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-Mansoori 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-Mansoori 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
Al-Mansoori was forcibly disappeared for 231 days, held in an undisclosed location where he endured continuous torture. His pretrial detention cell lacked both windows and furniture; it was also continuously lit so as to disorient him and disrupt his sleeping patterns. The violations extended to his family, as the authorities fabricated charges against his 23-year-old daughter, Moza Al-Mansoori, leading to her unjust sentencing to three months in prison. Along with other prisoners of conscience, Al-Mansoori faced relentless abuse and invasive searches, exacerbating their physical deprivation and psychological distress. Guards routinely assaulted the prisoners, subjecting Al-Mansoori to beatings and confiscating his personal belongings such as clothes, toiletries, and notebooks. Prison officials have allegedly also forced Dr. Al-Mansoori to stay in solitary confinement for extended periods of time. These conditions led Dr. Al-Mansoori to develop symptoms of acute sleep deprivation, including increased nervousness, irritability, anorexia, weight loss, muscle weakness, short-term memory loss, high blood pressure, dementia, and an immune system disorder. Al-Mansoori was prompted as a result of this ill-treatment to go on a hunger strike. As a result of his hunger strike, which he undertook to demand his rights, his health has significantly deteriorated.
- Protection actions and campaigns
- Urgent support needed
Al-Mansoori's health has significantly deteriorated in prison.
- Documented by
- Consent status
- Consent to register, store and publish the information
sorted by
Date added
5 relationships, 4 entities