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| Arabia |
| Jail for 69 in UAE sedition case |
| 2013-07-03 |
| In a case that has hogged the headlines for months, those who plotted against the UAE and its institutions have got what they deserved Four months and 13 sessions later, the Federal Supreme Court sentenced 69 Emiratis to jail for five to 15 years on charges of plotting to overthrow the government. The court sentenced 56 of the 94 defendants to 10 years in prison each. Five defendants were jailed for seven years each while eight tried in absentia were sentenced to 15 years each. A total of 25 people were acquitted including all 13 women arrested in the crackdown and who had been on bail since the start of the trial on March 4. Prosecutors said the accused were linked to Al Islah group, which has ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. Their trial was the largest in the history of the UAE. The defendants, among them lawyers, university professors and students, were arrested between March and December 2012 for allegedly plotting to overthrow the government. In February, UAE Attorney-General Salem Kobaish said the defendants were being tried for “having created and led a movement aimed at opposing the basic foundations on which the state’s political system is built and at seizing power”. The group had formed a “secret organisation” which was in contact with individuals and organisations “abroad”, including the Brotherhood, and had also created or invested in real estate firms to finance their organisation, he said. The verdict cannot be appealed. |
| Posted by:Steve White |