On the 21st of October 2014, Chief Technical Officer of Mobile application company "Duleaf" was detained at Sharjah after having been requested by security services to attend for questioning. Mr Mosaab Ramadan, an Egyptian National had been living in the UAE since 1995. He graduated from the American University of Sharjah in 2010 with a Bachelor of Computer Sciences then worked for a software development company. 10 months on, Mosaab's family can only speculate as to the reasons for his arrest as no charges have been pressed and no further information provided.
On the 21st of October 2014, Mosaab called his sister Arwa, to tell her that authorities at Sharjah Police Station had by telephone, requested him to attend in person for a discussion. Mosaab voluntarily attended, letting his family know where he was. He was immediately detained and no longer able to make contact with his family or a lawyer. His sister attended the police station but after her request to see him was declined, returned to their home and found that it had been searched by authorities. When Arwa attended Sharhaj the next afternoon, she was eventually told that Mosaab had been moved to the National Security division in Abu Dhabi. Upon making her enquiries via the Ministry of Interior, she was advised that in these situations, she will normally receive a telephone call in approximately two weeks.
Over a month later after family campaigned the UAE Consulate in Turkey, Mosaab was finally able to telephone the family but did not know why he was in captivity. In January 2015, he was again able to telephone to advise them that he was being moved to Al Wathba Prison in Abu Dhabi. He had been in solitary confinement for the first three months of his detention and was now in the general prison, sharing a cell with four others.
Mosaab has lived a productive and normal life. Besides work, he participated in charitable marathons, enjoyed fishing and simple hobbies. His family speculate that his arrest may be related his father's employment in Egypt. Ahmed Abd El Aziz was Media Advisor to the ousted, former President of Egypt, Mohamed Morsi.
Mosaab has not been a part of any political group and according to family, the only feasible reason for arrest is his father's relationship to Morsi and the current state of fear towards any link to the muslim brotherhood.
Amnesty International have highlighted Mosaab's case in their call to action request stating that "The UAE have arrested dozens of foreign nationals in recent years. These individuals are often held in secret locations by authorities who refuse to acknowledge their detention or give any information to their families - such as the legal basis for their imprisonment".
In January 2015, Human Rights Monitor appealed to the UN Working Group on Enforced Disappearances to assist Mosaab. Mosaab however, has not been charged with any crime but remains in custody almost 12 months after his arrest.
Freedom is a fundamental human right that principally, must only be removed with just cause. Removing this right impulsively, in the absence of evidence and without criminal charge, is devastating to the fundamental principle and ethic of human rights, dignity, respect and compassion for fellow beings. Allowing law enforcers to wield such power, devoid of accountability, creates a channel for governments to oppress people, one tyranny at a time.
We urge the UAE government to release Mosaab Ramadan, a detainee who has not been charged with a crime and to urgently review its human rights violations in the arrests of others who remain uncharged.
We urge individuals to take action as follows:
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