World news in brief: UAE urged to release activists, mass school closures in Haiti, aid to Sudanese refugees in Libya
The defendants were members of a group known as the “UAE 84,” who were tried en masse and convicted of forming a terrorist organization under the country’s 2014 Counter-Terrorism Law for acts dating back to the Arab Spring, some 14 years ago.
Most have served a decade in prison for national security-related crimes allegedly committed during the same period.
Experts ‘shocked’
Experts have issued statement said they were shocked by the life sentence handed down by the Abu Dhabi Court of Appeal earlier this month. Ten others were also sentenced to between 10 and 15 years in prison.
“The UAE must ensure that national counter-terrorism laws do not unnecessarily and disproportionately restrict civil society and civic space,” they said.
“The government must immediately release these individuals and bring the country’s anti-terrorism laws fully in line with international law.”
Unfair trial
They said they remained deeply concerned about the “unfair mass trial and lack of due process guarantees”, noting that “the indictment, charges, defence counsel and names of the accused were allegedly kept secret”.
Furthermore, defense attorneys are reportedly unable to freely access case files and other court documents, with some only able to view files on screens and in secure rooms, under the supervision of security personnel.
The experts who made this statement were appointed by the United Nations. Dong Nhan Quy Associationbased in Geneva. They work on a voluntary basis, are not employees of the United Nations, and receive no salary for their work.
Students eat lunch at their school in the village of Belle Onde, central Haiti, in April 2024.
Gang violence forces mass school closures in Haiti
The United Nations said Tuesday that unrest in Haiti continues to lead to mass school closures, leaving thousands of children without access to education.
More than 900 schools in the provinces of Ouest and Artibonite have been closed, affecting 156,000 young people.
Specifically, in Ouest province, which includes the capital Port-au-Prince, 39 schools are currently being used as shelters for internally displaced persons (IDPs), while at least 20 others are being occupied by various armed groups and gangs.
“I can tell you that we and our humanitarian partners on the ground are concerned about the impact of persistent insecurity on access to education, as the new school year begins in September,” speak UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric speaks at a daily press briefing from New York.
The United Nations Education Cannot Wait Fund for education in emergencies and crises recently allocated $2.5 million to support education efforts in Haiti.
However, the country’s current $674 million Humanitarian Response Plan is only 25 percent funded, with $170 million already met.
Mr. Dujarric called for more support to address the ongoing crisis.
Support for Sudanese refugees in Libya
$5.3 million allocation from the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) will support some 195,000 vulnerable Sudanese refugees in Libya, and the host community.
Acting UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Joyce Msuya announced the donation in a post on Monday on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
The number of Sudanese fleeing to Libya has increased significantly since war broke out in their homeland in April 2023. At the same time, Libya is facing its own humanitarian challenges.
This funding will be used to support emergency aid and launch a humanitarian response while other resources are mobilized. This is part of the Regional Refugee Response Plan for the Sudan Crisisis still seriously lacking in capital.
Although aid partners are seeking $1.5 billion, only $313 million, or more than 21 percent, has been received so far.
