UAE Supreme Court Acquits Canadian Salim Alaradi but State Security has Re-Detained Him
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Posted On May 30, 2016
Free Salim Alaradi Campaign
Update – May 30th 2016
UAE Supreme Court Acquits Canadian Salim Alaradi but State Security has Re-Detained Him
Canadian Citizen Detained in United Arab Emirates for 642 Days
After hours of waiting today the UAE Supreme Court State Security Chamber Judges acquitted Salim Alardi and his co-accused. While his lawyers and Canadian officials expected him to leave the court room a free man with them, he was taken by State Security back to the prison.
The acquittal is the culmination of 642 days of arbitrary detainment and a trial tainted with due process and human rights violations in which the United Nations, many international human rights organizations, high level Canadian officials and Canadian citizens denounced and called on the UAE to dismiss the charges. While we welcome the just verdict of innocence, Alaradi’s freedom is dependent on the implementation of this judicial decision by the State Security. Lawyers and family are concerned because there is precedence of UAE State Security delaying the release of acquitted victims.
Alaradi ordeal has come a long way. Initially he was charged with supporting terrorist organizations and then the UAE’s State Security prosecutor withdrew all terrorism charges after three months of trial hearings, and filed two new charges against Salim. The new charges falsely alleged that Alaradi took hostile actions against Libya by sending humanitarian supplies to organizations without permission of the UAE government, and that he collected donations without permission of the appropriate ministry. Libyan officials including the Attorney General, the former President of Libya and former ministries all refuted these allegations in written affidavits submitted to the court.
Alaradi’s lawyers and family are shocked that Salim has been taken back to the prison. The courts have ruled that he is innocent and as such he should not have to spend another moment in prison. This would never have happened in Canada – an innocent man is a free man. This is a continuation of the gross violations of his human rights.
Lawyers are working on arranging his immediate release so he can be reunited with his family and admitted to a hospital for medical treatment.
We call on the Canadian government to intervene at the highest levels to ensure that he is freed and allowed to come home.
Media Contacts
For further details about Salim Alaradi’s situation and the progress of the case in UAE:
Paul Champ, Human rights lawyer representing Salim Alaradi
T: (613) 816-2441
Greg Craig, Lawyer for US Nationals Kamal and Mohamed El Darat and former White House Counsel
T: +1.202.371.7400
Marwa Alaradi, Salim Alaradi’s eldest daughter
For further background about this case and related human rights concerns in UAE:
John Tackaberry, Media Officer, Amnesty International Canada
T: (613) 744-7667, extension 236
Monia Mazigh, National Coordinator-International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group
T: (613) 241-5298
Nicholas McGeehan, UAE researcher at Human Rights Watch
Drewery Dyke, UAE Researcher at Amnesty International
T: +44 (0) 75 3558 7297
For more details about the case please visit:
Campaign Website http://35.193.218.81/
Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/freesalimalaradi
Twitter Account https://twitter.com/freesalimaradi
Youtube Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/freesalimalaradi
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