AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL REPORT 2016/17

detention centre in the vicinity of the court
building, he was only allowed to attend his
court hearings via a video link, purportedly
because of the “danger” he would pose.
Ahtem Chiygoz remained one of several
prisoners of conscience in Crimea. Ali Asanov
and Mustafa Degermendzhi also continued to
be held in pre-trial detention for allegedly
participating in the same “mass
disturbances” on 26 February 2014.
The Russian authorities used allegations of
possession of “extremist literature” and of
membership of the Islamist organization Hizb
ut-Tahrir as a pretext for house searches of
ethnic Crimean Tatars (predominantly
Muslims) and arrests. At least 19 men were
arrested as alleged members of Hizb ut-
Tahrir. Of them, four men from Sevastopol
were put on trial in a military court in Russia,
in violation of international humanitarian law
governing occupied territories, and
sentenced to between five and seven years in
prison. During the trial, nearly all prosecution
witnesses tried to retract their earlier
statements, claiming that these had been
forcibly extracted under threat of criminal
prosecution by members of the Russian
security service.
1. Ukraine: Two years after Euromaydan – The prospect for justice is
threatened (EUR 50/3516/2016)
2. Ukraine: Further information – Body of missing lawyer has been
found (EUR 50/3734/2016)
3. “You don't exist”: Arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, and
torture in eastern Ukraine (EUR 50/4455/2016)
4. Ukraine: Authorities must disclose missing man’s fate: Kostyantyn
Beskorovaynyi (EUR 50/3275/2016)
5. Five men in secret detention in Ukraine (EUR 50/4728/2016)
6. Ukraine: Kyiv Pride – A genuine celebration of human rights (EUR
50/4258/2016)
7. Ukraine: Crimean Tatar activist forcibly disappeared – Ervin
Ibragimov (EUR 50/4121/2016)
8. Ukraine: Crimea in the Dark – The silencing of dissent (EUR
50/5330/2016)
9. Ukraine: Crimea – Proposed closure of the Mejlis marks culmination
of repressive measures against the Crimean Tatar community (EUR
50/3655/2016)
UNITED ARAB
EMIRATES
United Arab Emirates
Head of state: Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Head of government: Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashed Al
Maktoum
The authorities continued to arbitrarily
restrict the rights to freedom of expression
and association, detaining and prosecuting
government critics, opponents and foreign
nationals under criminal defamation and
anti-terrorism laws. Enforced
disappearances, unfair trials and torture
and other ill-treatment of detainees
remained common. Scores of people
sentenced after unfair trials in previous
years remained in prison; they included
prisoners of conscience. Women continued
to be discriminated against in law and in
practice. Migrant workers faced exploitation
and abuse. The courts continued to impose
death sentences; no executions were
reported.
BACKGROUND
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) remained
part of the Saudi Arabia-led international
coalition engaged in armed conflict in Yemen
(see Yemen entry) and participated in
international military action in Syria and Iraq
against the armed group Islamic State (IS).
In August, the authorities agreed to the
transfer of 15 detainees from the US
detention centre at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba,
to the UAE.
The government failed to respond to
requests to visit the UAE made by the Special
Rapporteur on torture and other UN human
rights experts.
FREEDOMS OF EXPRESSION
AND ASSOCIATION
The authorities tightened the law relating to
electronic information and restricted online
expression and association, enacting
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