DUBAI (Middle East Eye) – The United Arab Emirates (UAE) forcibly disappeared and deported several Pakistani men who were of Shia origin last year from the Persian Gulf country, according to a U.S.-based rights group.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) said six of the 10 men, who were detained in the UAE between October and December 2020, were deported without explanation.
The six men were not given a chance to appeal against their fate, nor told why they had been deported or given a chance to settle their affairs before being permanently expelled from the country.
The whereabouts of the other four men detained by the UAE remains unknown, with neither their families nor friends having been informed of their location.
“The UAE claims that it respects freedom and diversity, but arbitrarily disappearing and deporting long-time Shia residents indicates that this tolerance and respect does not extend to all religious sects,” said Michael Page, deputy director of the Middle East and North Africa division at HRW.
“UAE state security forces have a long record of enforced disappearances with total impunity, leaving detainees and their family members frightened, confused and hopeless.
“The behavior of unaccountable UAE authorities is an open mockery of the rule of law and leaves no one safe from serious abuses.”
None of the deported men was formally charged by the Emiratis or had the opportunity to challenge their deportations formally, the organization said.
HRW spoke to relatives of the 10 men, who said they were never charged or given any legal counsel and consular assistance while detained by the Emiratis.
Most of the men deported had lived and worked in the UAE for several years. One man worked as a chief executive for more than 40 years, and another of the men was born and raised in the UAE.
The UAE has previously targeted Shia residents and reportedly arrested individuals from Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon and Pakistan.
Between 2009 and 2016, HRW and local media documented the deportation of hundreds of Lebanese Shia residents living in the UAE without any opportunity to challenge their deportations.