HRW warns of risk of handing over an Emirati dissident detained in Syria

The Human Rights Watch Organization warned that Emirati dissident Jassem al-Shamisi, detained by Syrian authorities since November 6, faces a serious risk of extradition to the UAE, which would entail enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention, and torture.

In a report published on its website, the organization stated that al-Shamisi was arrested at a security checkpoint in Damascus countryside and taken to the Criminal Security Center in al-Fayha without any legal explanation for his detention. While several security agencies subsequently denied any knowledge of his whereabouts, before he managed to contact his family at the end of the same month.

The organization noted that the UAE has previously put pressure on Arab countries to forcibly return dissidents, emphasizing that al-Shamisi was sentenced in absentia in the "UAE 94" case and a second mass trial scheduled for 2024, making him vulnerable to severe punishment if returned.

The organization pointed out that arrest warrants are often misused in the region as originating from the "Arab Interpol," which has previously led to unlawful arrests and extraditions of dissidents.

It stressed that Syria is legally obligated not to return anyone to a country where they may be subjected to torture or ill-treatment, calling on the Syrian authorities to reject any request to extradite al-Shamisi.

J.J