In the United Arab Emirates, there is a state authority that constantly abuses and restricts human rights. This is the State Security Agency (SSA), founded in 1974 by Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. The main purpose of this agency is to deal with state security issues. Over time, however, it has been used to carry out serious persecution of activists and dissidents.

Initially under the control of the Ministry of the Interior, the agency soon gained great independence by being placed under the direct control of the head of state. In this way, the SSA became more and more influential within the state, having the task of protecting the high offices of the state. In 2003, however, the enactment of the State Security Law increased the power of this agency even further. From this moment on, it was able to intervene in many more fields and no longer limit its action to the protection of state officials and the war against espionage.

Article 14 of the 2003 law gave the SSA the power to gather information regarding “Any political or organisational activity of a person, organisation, party, or association that seeks to prejudice the state’s safety and security or its governance system or to prejudice national unity […].” In addition to this, the same article gave the SSA the task of combating any kind of terrorist organisation that could weaken the position of the state.

The vague provisions contained within the law regarding activities detrimental to the state, therefore, allowed the State Security Agency to initiate a series of enforcement activities. The people who were most affected were political dissidents and human rights activists gathering in peaceful associations. A striking example is the mass trial of 94 innocent people known as “UAE94”.

Most of these people were students, professors and activists who had signed a petition demanding democratic reforms. The SSA investigated all these people, going so far as to arrest them and charge them with subversive activities on the basis of the aforementioned law. Many of them claimed that, in the pre-trial stages, they were deprived of their right to legal protection and subjected to torture to obtain information about their activities. At the end of the trial, 69 defendants were sentenced to prison, with sentences ranging from 7 to 15 years. Still, this case reveals the exaggerated power that the SSA holds and how it uses it to silence the voices of those people who fight for their rights.

The State Security Agency was also responsible for the enforced disappearance of several people. This became an increasing problem in the aftermath of the 2011 uprisings, as many people were arbitrarily detained for openly criticising the government. In 2015, for example, three sisters responded to a call from the Abu Dhabi police after they had posted comments critical of the government on social media. Since then, the families have not heard from the three girls.

Another illustrative case of SSA repression is that of activist Ahmed Mansoor. The latter was arrested in 2017 without a warrant and was forcibly disappeared after this event. His family had no news about him for a year. It was later revealed that Mansoor had been detained in Al Wathba prison in terrible conditions and was tortured. In 2018, Mansoor was sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment on charges of organising activities that harmed the reputation and security of the UAE.

As much as the UAE wants to appear today as a country in a phase of change and progress, things within it have not really changed. Human rights violations continue to be a problem within the country, and the repression of critical voices is constant and shows no signs of stopping. The actions perpetrated by the SSA are a clear example of this worrying trend. The latter, with its investigations, accusations based on vague laws and terrible actions, is the main machine through which repression is exercised in the UAE.

It is unacceptable that a state authority that should be in charge of protecting the security of citizens and the state is instead used as a means of repression and violation of human rights. The power of the State Security Agency has become increasingly disproportionate over time, and if they really want to show progress, the UAE must start limiting it. Until this happens, it is necessary to continue to speak out for all those whose rights are being violated for no other reason than that they wanted to assert their rights. This is the only way to keep the State Security Agency accountable and demonstrate its true function.

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