UAE: Abu Dhabi court hears evidence linking 'Justice and Dignity Committee' to terrorism
Court to continue hearing prosecution pleas next Thursday, February 15
The Abu Dhabi Federal Appeals Court held a hearing on Wednesday for Case No. 87 of 2023 State Security, where several individuals and entities face charges related to establishing and managing a terrorist organisation, as well as money laundering proceeds from the crimes of forming and setting up a clandestine terrorist organisation.
During the five-hour-long court session, the court heard the Public Prosecution’s plea in the presence of the accused. The prosecution representative presented evidence of guilt against the defendants in the case, which included technical reports, audio and visual material, as well as written documents, proving the involvement of the defendants in the crimes of establishing and managing a terrorist organisation, which are the crimes charged in the case.
The prosecution affirmed in its pleas that this case is completely different from Case No. 79 of 2012 State Security, and is not a retrial of the accused. In this regard, the prosecution cited the evidence presented in the public session, which included confessions and statements by the defendants that were consistent with the investigations of the State Security Apparatus and the testimonies and reports of media experts who were tasked with monitoring and analysing the defendants' media and electronic activity and the content of the tweets and blogs they published as part of the organisation's action plan.
The prosecution indicated that the defendants were involved in the establishment and management of a terrorist organisation under the name of “Justice and Dignity Committee” that aims to stir up the streets and inflict maximum bloodshed by organising protests and demonstrations against the State and creating clashes and violence against the security services.
The court session witnessed the presence of the defence counsels for the defendants in the case, as well as the presence of a number of the defendants’ families and representatives of various media outlets.
The court is scheduled to continue hearing the Public Prosecution’s pleas in a session on Thursday, 15th February 2024.
Dr. Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, the UAE's Attorney-General, has referred 84 defendants, mostly members of the Muslim Brotherhood, a designated terrorist organization in the UAE, to the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal on charges of establishing a separate clandestine organization to commit acts of violence and terrorism on UAE soil.