Mohammed Al-Rukn
Mohammed Abdullah Al-Rukn | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | September 26, 1962 |
| Nationality | Emirati |
| Other names | Mohamed Al-Roken, Mohammed Abdulla Al Roken |
| Education | Ph.D., constitutional law, Warwick University |
| Occupation(s) | lawyer, political activist |
| Known for | constitutional law expertise, imprisoned for human rights activity |
| Movement | Emirati political opposition |
| Criminal status | missing, presumed incarcerated |
| Spouse | Umm Rashid[1] |
| Children | Rashid al-Roken |
| Relatives | Abdulla al-Hajeri (son in law) |
| Website | http://drmalroken.wordpress.com/ |
Mohammed Abdullah Al-Rukn (Arabic: محمد عبدالله الركن) is an Emirati lawyer and political activist who was born on 26 September 1962.
Al-Rukn was incarcerated by Emirati authorities and given a 10 year sentence for being part of Al Islah, an organization that is labeled as a terrorist organization in the UAE.
Early life
Al-Rukn was born in Dubai, UAE to a modest family of Arab ancestry. He attended primary schools in Dubai, where he was a quick learner. Later he was granted a scholarship to the United States to study chemical engineering, but decided instead to study law.[2]
He attended the United Arab Emirates University, Faculty of Law in 1981 and graduated with excellence in 1985 with a bachelor's degree in law and a minor in political science. While at university he was an administrative body of the Emirates National Students Union.[3]
In 1985 Al-Rukn attended Warwick University and graduated with a degree in constitutional law. In 1992 he completed his Ph.D. in constitutional law from the same university.[3]
Al Islah and incarceration
Al-Rukn is a leading human rights lawyer who provides legal assistance to victims of human rights abuses in the UAE, including to fellow human rights defenders.
Al-Rukn had defended members of al-Islah, a Muslim Brotherhood affiliated group. In 2011 he served as co-defense counsel for two of the activists, known as the UAE 5, who were imprisoned for seven months prosecuted for defamation and allegedly posting statements on an internet forum critical of the UAE's leaders and government policies. Government authorities have long prevented al-Rukn from lecturing at Al Ain University due to his outspoken views on the UAE government.[4]
He repeatedly and openly called for social participation and peaceful protests while he urged the authorities to respect international human rights standards.
In 2012, he was among the 132 activists who signed a petition inquiring for direct elections and legislative reforms in the country.
Dr al-Roken had been the main UAE contact for human rights organizations for a decade. Before his arrest, the authorities harassed him because of his work as a human rights lawyer, criticism of the UAE’s human rights record, and advocacy of democratic reforms. He has been detained, banned from traveling, and forced to stop writing in newspapers and giving interviews, and subjected to surveillance.
On May 27, 2017, he was designated as the prizewinner of the 22nd Ludovic Trarieux International Human Rights Prize.[5]
The Arrest, Detention, Trial and Sentencing[6]
In the early morning of 17 July 2012, Dr Mohamed Al-Rukn was arrested near his home by security forces. His place of detention remained unknown for months.
Al-Rukn’s trial began in March 2013, where he was tried with 93 other defendants, and ultimately convicted and sentenced to 10 year’s imprisonment on 3 July 2013. This mass trial became known as the UAE 94, and was part of a crackdown on human rights leaders, activists, academics, and human rights lawyers. Earlier this month marked the seventh year of al-Rukn’s detention.
He was denied basic rights, including a speedy trial and access to a lawyer. Moreover, many reported that al-Rukn was subjected to psychological intimidation from UAE authorities.
Many human rights organisations reported that Mohamed al-Rukn was subjected to music torture, with loud patriotic anthems being played at damaging volumes—to the point where al-Roken fainted from high blood pressure as a result of the excruciating volume.
Al-Roken was awarded a major human rights award on 2017. The prize jury lamented that Rukn's trial had gone ahead behind closed doors and demanded his immediate release.
Amnesty International criticised the detention of Al-Rukn and the unfair trial he was subjected to.
"Not only do the defendants appear to have been targeted simply because of their views, but they have been convicted on bogus charges and denied the basic right to a fair trial," "The only thing this trial shows is the fundamental flaws in the UAE justice system," she added.
According to Amnesty, the trial "was marred by allegations of torture which were blatantly ignored, the rights of defence were flaunted, and independent observers were banned from the court room".
Dr Mohamed Al-Rukn is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence in a high security prison in the Abu Dhabi desert.
References
- ^ Associated Press. Family: UAE detains prominent rights lawyer, 17 July 2012.
- ^ United Arab Emirates University
- ^ a b UAE Prisoners website, July 20, 2012
- ^ UAE: US, UK Should Criticize Dissident Arrests, Human Rights Watch, August 1, 2012. Retrieved April 9, 2013.
- ^ "Mohammed al-Roken (United Arab Emirates), Prizewinner of International Human Rights Prize "Ludovic-Trarieux" 2017". www.ludovictrarieux.org. Retrieved 2019-07-24.
- ^ "Constitutional Lawyer Mohammad al-Roken Asked for Reform in the UAE But Got 10 Years in Prison Instead". DAWN. 2020-12-21. Retrieved 2021-05-08.