We trust the UAE judicial system

I was among the lucky few who got the chance to attend all the hearings of the Emiratis charged with belonging to an illegal and secret organisation linked to the Muslim Brotherhood’s UAE branch, before the State Security Court last month.

From March 4 to 26, I attended five hearings, some of which lasted from 9am to 5.30pm.

Before attending the hearings and seeing the 94 Emirati suspects, I did not have a clear idea about most of them. I didn’t know their behaviour or their views regarding the crimes they were accused of. I also had no clue about where all this was heading or if there was any hope of anyone sympathising with them. My opinion was based — to a large extent — on what I had read in Arabic and English publications from the UAE and abroad.

After attending the five sessions, I found out how unaware we were regarding many of the issues. We depend mostly on what is written and aired through the media abroad — whether in countries in the region, other Islamic countries or internationally. Most European media outlets, for instance, did not have detailed and analytical information about the proceedings and the members of this organisation.

Hence, these media outlets wrote and analysed the case using information obtained from the Muslim Brotherhood and the Emirati Dawat Al Islah organisation. They ended up publishing information in different forms, which varied from the funny to the tragic.

In the second session, on March 11, the suspects tried to accuse the authorities of torturing them, but they failed to prove their accusations. Their lawyers were also unable to support this allegations with evidence and medical reports.

On the other hand, Judge Falah Al Hajiri, head of the court body, was extremely generous with the suspects. When they complained of being held in solitary confinement and being deprived of their reading glasses and paper and pens to submit their requests, Al Hajiri ordered the public prosecution to transfer them to prison cells belonging to the Ministry of Interior, which provided all items sought by prisoners. He also ordered that their reading glasses be returned to them and that they be supplied with papers and pens.

Another example of the judge’s compassion was when one of the lawyers asked for the defendants to meet their families. The judge did not hesitate to approve the request.

One suspect requested that he be allowed to wear traditional Emirati attire instead of prison clothes. Once again, the judge granted his wish. As a result, all the defendants attended the fifth session on March 26 wearing national dress — in high spirits and with smiling faces.

I only wish that at least one of those individuals who write for western media outlets or those who splash their views over social media networks attended one of these sessions to see the humanitarian manner in which the suspects are treated. None of the suspects stood alone or isolated, and none were able to prove that they had been mistreated or beaten.

This alone is enough proof that not all that is written in western media outlets is true.

It is regrettable that there are so many lies, assumptions, and shameful falsehoods written regarding a country that has provided its nationals with stability, comfort, security, safety, peace, and entertainment in an environment that is envied by four fifths of the world’s people, including those in advanced countries!

I am not in a position of defence or attack. I am not here to defend the accused group, the government, the security authorities or to attack any of them. I am merely voicing my opinion. The illegal secret organisation’s trial sessions were transparent and open to the point that will always be remembered in the history of the country, which puts its national interest and that of its people on top of its priority list.

This includes the interests of the expatriates.

I mentioned this to a member of the Emirates Human Rights Association during the second session, at a time when the suspects were making unending complaints. I told him: “I only wish you would inform the security authorities not to annoy those people in their prison cells and to give them back their reading glasses.”

I also that the prisoners be given papers and pens so that does not become a pretext to offend the state and its security authorities.

Moreover, these small items will not affect the progress of the trial in any way.

Later, the judge himself ordered that the suspects get what they required.

I do not want to boast or give an impression that I understand political affairs more than others, but I have to say that the crime committed by this group exceeds the imagination of the majority of UAE nationals. There isn’t a single UAE national who will accept the prevalence of ideas by people who use religion as a shield while they are as remote from the principles of religion as possible.

It is worthy to note here that the head of the illegal secret organisation — Dawat Al Islah — and the rest of the organisation’s leaders have not denied — up till this very moment — the setting up of a secret organisation. They also did not deny their preparation of the group’s organisational structure nor the serious accusations made against them by the public prosecution. Those accusations include the setting up of a clandestine organisation, preparing its structure, its board of directors, its ‘Shura Council’ and recruiting students.

All these charges, which carry punitive measures under UAE law were not denied by them.

On the contrary, they proudly boasted about these accusations, as articulated by the head of the illegal, secret organisation in the trial session of March 26.

If a survey is made by an international organisation for the opinion of the Emirati street regarding the illegal social conduct and actions committed by this group, the results will be that all the country’s people stand united against this organisation.

All UAE nationals will also declare their allegiance and loyalty to their leadership with no hesitation whatsoever.

After five public hearings that were transparent and clear, we can only say that we have confidence in the UAE judicial system and that the highest level of justice and equality will be achieved in a community which is governed by pride, integrity and the rule of law.

We do not need those who bring us old and tattered concepts, claiming reform while they themselves are the ones that need to reform their mindsets and their way of thinking.