Britons Tortured in Dubai Pardoned in Ramadan Amnesty
Three Britons who were allegedly tortured in a Dubai prison have been pardoned by authorities and are due to return home, a British based charity announced today.
{jcomments on} The charity, Reprieve, say that Grant Cameron is already back in the United Kingdom (UK) and that they hope Suneet Jeerh and Karl Williams will return soon.
Sentenced to four-year long prison sentences in April 2013, the three men were found guilty of possessing a synthetic form of cannabis known as spice.
The three men claim to have been tortured while in the custody of Dubai authorities, with a report by a torture expert backing up their statements.
They say that authorities held guns to their heads, subjected them to beatings and electric shocks as well as forcing them to sign confessions in a language they do not understand.
Following a visit to the UK in April by the UAE’s President, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, Prime Minister David Cameron called on authorities to impartially and independently investigate allegations of torture.
The men were convicted on the evidence of police officers who are the ones accused of torturing them.
To date, a proper investigation into the torture allegations is yet to be completed and released.
Rori Donaghy, Campaign Manager at the Emirates Centre For Human Rights, said: “While we welcome the end of these three men’s ordeal, this pardoning should not come at the expense of the rule of law. With allegations of torture in the UAE commonplace, authorities must move to uphold their commitment to the United Nations’ Convention Against Torture and impartially investigate all credible allegations where they occur.”
We call upon authorities to independently investigate the allegations of torture against these three Britons, holding to account perpetrators where necessary in line with international law.
The pardoning of these men may bring to an end an experience they should never have been subject to but it is not a sustainable solution.
Authorities must eradicate torture in a country where consistently credible allegations have been made over the past year. From Syrian nationals to the UAE 94, allegations of torture have been commonplace.
The suffering in this case may be at an end, however, in order to ensure it does not continue to occur authorities must move to wholly reform both the legal system and hold to account the perpetrators of torture.
For further information please contact Rori Donaghy on +447850062105 or at campaigns@echr.org.uk
