Committee of Concerned Scientists

An international non-profit organization of scientists, physicians, engineers and scholars dedicated to protecting the human rights and scientific freedom of our colleagues around the world.

An independent non-profit organization of scientists, physicians, engineers and scholars dedicated to protecting the human rights and scientific freedom of our colleagues around the world.
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Annual Reports
    • Contact Information
    • History
    • Leadership
  • CCS Active Case Updates
  • Human Rights Resources
    • Human Rights Orgs
    • General HR Res
    • US Govt Agencies
  • Donations

Ailing Economist Confined in Jail in UAE Threatened to Contract COVID-19

August 2, 2020

August 3, 2020

HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid al-Maktoum
Vice-President and Prime Minister
Prime Minister’s Office
P.O. Box 212000
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Fax: +971 4 330 4044
Email: info@pmo.gov.ae

Your Highness:

The Committee of Concerned Scientists is an independent organization of scientists, physicians, engineers and scholars devoted to the protection and advancement of human rights and scientific freedom for colleagues all over the world.

We write today to express our grave concern for Dr. Nasser bin Ghaith, a U.S.-educated economist and former lecturer at University of Paris IV Abu Dhabi, who has been imprisoned since 2015. His health has seriously deteriorated, which is of particular concern as the COVID-19 virus continues to spread and people in confined settings like prisons are especially at risk. Additionally, Dr. bin Ghaith is particularly vulnerable and probably would not fare well should he contract the virus, due to his health issues.

We wrote you several times in the past: on June 7, 2016, February 22, 2017, and January 15, 2019 about Dr. bin Ghaith’s situation. He was sentenced in 2017 to 10 years in prison. The charges – “committing a hostile act against a foreign state” and “posting false information in order to harm the reputation and stature of the state and one of its institutions” – were based on Tweets that he posted that were critical of the government of Egypt and of the legal process to which he was being subjected.

Social media posts are not criminal offenses, they are a form of free expression, one of the most fundamental of human rights. We do not consider these charges, nor the conviction of Dr. bin Ghaith, to be legitimate.
Dr. bin Ghaith was held incommunicado from August 2015 to April 2016, and denied medical treatment during that period. Also, during this period he claims that he was tortured. Since his conviction, he has been held at Al-Razeen Maximum Security prison, where he has been mistreated, subjected to solitary confinement, and gone on hunger strikes to protest these abuses.

Reportedly, Dr. bin Ghaith is being denied his blood pressure medication and suffers from a visual impairment. He is now unable to stand on his own. We are appalled at this deterioration of his health, and concerned that this leaves him extremely vulnerable to the COVID-19 virus.

In light of these health concerns, and in light of the fact that he has been imprisoned simply for exercising his rights to freedom of expression and association, we urge you to release Dr. bin Ghaith immediately and unconditionally. We, also ask that you expunge his conviction, as it is based on illegitimate charges. Pending his release, we urge you to see that he receives necessary medical attention and care, is protected from further ill-treatment, and has access to family and legal representatives.

Thank you for your consideration of this urgent matter, and we look forward to receiving your response.

Sincerely,

Cc:
Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Minister of Interior
Zayed Sport City, Arab Gulf Street, Near to Shaikh Zayed Mosque
POB 398
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Fax: +971 2 402 2762/+971 2 441 5780
Email: moi@moi.gov.ae

HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi
Crown Prince Court
King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Street
P.O. Box 124
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Fax: +971 2 668 6622

Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba
Embassy of the United Arab Emirates
3522 International Court, NW
Suite #400
Washington, DC 20008
Fax: 1 202 243 2432
Email: info@uaeembassy-usa.org

Filed Under: CCS Cases, United Arab Emirates Tagged With: COVID-19, Nasser bin Ghaith, virus

Who We Are

Co-chairs

Joel L. Lebowitz, Rutgers University

Paul H. Plotz, M.D., Washington, DC

Walter Reich, George Washington University

Eugene Chudnovsky, Lehman College

Alexander Greer, Brooklyn College

Vice-chairs

Astronomy – Arno Penzias, New Enterprises Associates*

Biology – Max E. Gottesman, Columbia University

Chemistry – Zafra Lerman, MIMSAD Inc.

Computer Science – Rachelle Heller, The George Washington University

Computer Science – Jack Minker, University of Maryland, College Park

Engineering – Philip Sarachik, NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering

Mathematics – Simon Levin, Princeton University

Medical Sciences – J. Joseph Blum, Duke University

Honorary Board Members

Nancy Andrews, Duke University

David Baltimore, California Institute of Technology*

Alan J. Bard, University of Texas

Jacob Bigeleisen (deceased), SUNY, Stony Brook

Raoul Bott (deceased), Harvard University

Owen Chamberlain (deceased), University of California, Berkeley

Stanley Deser, Brandeis University

Edward Gerjuoy, University of Pittsburg

David Gross, (2004 Nobel Prize in Physics), Kavil Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara*

Pierre Hohenberg (deceased), New York University

Walter Kohn (deceased), University of California, Santa Barbara*

James Langer, University of California, Santa Barbara

Peter Lax, New York University

Louis Nirenberg, New York University

Marshall Nirenberg (deceased), National Institutes of Health*

Honorary Board Members

John C. Polanyi, University of Toronto*

Stuart Rice, University of Chicago

Sir Richard J. Roberts, (1993 Nobel Prize in Physiology & Medicine), New England Biolabs*

Myriam Sarachick, City College of New York

Harold Scheraga, Cornell University

Sylvan Schweber (deceased), Brandeis University

Maxine Singer, Carnegie Institution of Washington

Alfred I. Tauber, Boston University

Steven Weinberg, University of Texas, Austin*

Myrna Weissman, Columbia University

Rosalyn S. Yalow (deceased), Mount Sinai School of Medicine*

* Nobel laureate

Search Site

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Search in posts
Search in pages
Filter by Categories
Additional Information
Angola
Annual Reports
Australia
Bahrain
Belarus
Belgium
Brazil
Bulgaria
Cameroon
CCS Board
CCS Cases
Chile
China
Colombia
Cuba
Egypt
Ethiopia
France
Germany
Good News
Greece
Highlights
History
Human Rights Resources
India
Iran
Iraq
Israel
Italy
Malaysia
Morocco
North America Issues
Pakistan
Pakistan
Palestinian Territories
Peru
Petitions
Poland
Press
Previous Highlights
Prominent Cases
Related Articles
Reports
Russia
Saudi Arabia
Spain
Sudan
Swaziland
Syria
Thailand
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United Nations
United States
Uzbekistan
Venezuela
Vietnam

View Results in New Window...

Browse by Country

Archives

Join Us

Become a member of our humanitarian enterprise.

Sign up

Support CCS

Remember to register with AmazonSmiles as a donor to the Committee of Concerned Scientists. Then anytime you shop there CCS will receive a donation from Amazon. Since people spend a lot during this time of year it can benefit CCS greatly if you remember to do this. There is no additional cost to you.

FURTHER DIRECTIONS

Translate This Page

Click on the flags or use the menu below for a translation of this page.

[google-translator]

Press Enter to Search

Like us on Facebook

Committee of Concerned Scientists

c/o Alexandra R. Bender, Executive Director
P.O. Box 4525
Easton, PA 18043
Phone: (570) 994-2093
abender@concernedscientists.org

Copyright © 2023 • Concerned Sci Child Theme on Genesis Framework • WordPress • Log in