"UAE trial of activists draws criticism" November 04, 2011|Associated Press
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - A coalition of international human rights organizations accused the United Arab Emirates yesterday of violating international legal standards by prosecuting five jailed campaigners for political reforms in the oil-rich Gulf country.
The statement by the seven-member alliance marks the highest level international pressure over the trial....
The activists, including a prominent blogger and an economics professor who has lectured at the Abu Dhabi branch of Paris’s Sorbonne University, were charged with antistate crimes after signing an Internet petition calling for constitutional changes and free elections.
Political activity is severely restricted in the UAE, an alliance of seven semiautonomous states, each ruled by a sheik who inherits the post. There are no official opposition groups in the country, and political parties are banned.
The UAE has not had street protests like those that erupted this year across the Middle East, including in neighboring Bahrain.
Authorities moved aggressively to keep demands for political change out of the Gulf federation.
The five activists were arrested in April and charged with insulting the UAE’s rulers and endangering the country’s security. If convicted on all charges, they could face decades in prison.
A verdict is expected Nov. 27. The defendants have no right to appeal.
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