European Parliament’s decision to boycott the Dubai Expo is a step on the path of justice

“Together for Justice” organization has welcomed the European Parliament’s decision which condemned human rights violations in the United Arab Emirates and calls for a boycott of the “Expo Dubai 2020”, to be held next October in the UAE.

We stress that this decision is a great victory for the values and principles of human rights, and a step on the path to achieving justice for the victims of the crimes of the Emirati regime, which is becoming increasingly brutal every day, amid international silence which encourages it to commit more violations.

Members of Parliament have long threatened to issue such a decision due to the escalating violations of the UAE regime, without any deterrent from the international community. The Emirati regime tried to cancel this session; however, it was held and votes were given to human rights in the session that was held on   Thursday, September 16.

In the rationale for their decision, the parliament members said that the UAE’s violations of the rights of prisoners of conscience and political prisoners, such as the detainee Ahmed Mansour, have reached an unprecedented extent, and the holding of the exhibition on UAE soil with the participation of international companies and institutions in it is a legitimization of such violations or immunity to commit more of them.

The Yemeni war was also highlighted, which the UAE, in cooperation with Saudi Arabia, contributed to fueling it and turned Yemen into the poorest country in the world due to the losses it incurred during this war, as well as the tragedy that Yemeni civilians are experiencing now in light of the worst humanitarian disaster in modern history as described by the United Nations.

The ill and degrading treatment that women detainees received in Emirati prisons caused members of the European Parliament to vote to condemn the UAE, as Emirati prisons are filled with female detainees of all nationalities, subjected to brutal treatment, torture, and sexual harassment, especially if they hold opinions and political views opposed to the UAE regime.

We stress the need for human rights organizations and human rights defenders around the world to unite their efforts in order to form pressure groups on global systems and commercial institutions, which in turn must pressure the UAE regime to improve the human rights situation in the Emirates and to require the cessation of all forms of restrictions on freedoms as a condition for cooperation, exchange of cultures and business activities.