On Monday 4 June, the chair of the European Parliament's sub-committee on human rights Pier Antonio Panzeri (S&D, Italy) called for the release of Emirati human rights campaigner Ahmed Mansoor. On 28 May, Mansoor was sentenced to ten years in prisons for "using social media sites (...) to publish false information, rumours and lies on the United Arab Emirates, and encouraging sectarian sentiment and hate which damage the country's social harmony and unity".
"This conviction, based solely on Ahmed Mansoor’s postings on social media, is a violation of his right to freedom of expression which is not only guaranteed by universal human rights instruments but also by the Arab Charter on Human Rights, to which the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a party", Panzeri stated in a press release, calling for Mansoor's sentence to be annulled so that he can be released.
In the meantime, Panzeri has called on the authorities of the UAE to ensure that Manssor is protected from bad treatment, including torture, and to ensure that experts from the UN and international NGOs or EU officials can visit him.
Arrested on 20 March 2017, Mansoor has since been held in an unknown place, with family visits being very limited. He was refused access to a lawyer of his choice during the trial. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)