NYU faculty and students call for justice in Abu Dhabi

The government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is currently prosecuting nearly 100 individuals, including human-rights lawyers, judges, teachers, and student activists, in Abu Dhabi for allegedly attempting to overthrow the government of the UAE. We the undersigned are faculty, staff, students, and alumni of New York University (NYU) who take a special interest in the rights of free speech, intellectual freedom, and political dissent in the UAE because of the presence of an NYU branch campus in that country (NYU Abu Dhabi).

We call for the immediate release of all prisoners who have merely spoken out about the undemocratic character of the UAE government or who have assembled together peacefully. The defendants should also have full access to their lawyers and family members, an opportunity to see the evidence that is being used against them, the right to cross-examine witnesses, and the right to appeal any verdict in this case. The trial or trials of these individuals should be open to human-rights observers and the press, both foreign and domestic. Finally, we ask for an independent investigation into the defendants' allegations of ill treatment during their detention.