Maryam Soulayman Al-Ballushi

Cases
Location of case in SG report
2019-104-002
Relevant SG report
Year of the report
2019
Country Geolocation

Latitude: 23.424076

Longitude: 53.847818

Country Geolocation (linked Cases)
United Arab Emirates
From Region
Type of record
Named individual
Gender
Female
Was the victim a foreign national?
No
Was the victim a minor?
No
Type of rights defended
  • Civil/political rights
Was the victim a civil servant or member of the security forces or of the judiciary?
No
Reported trigger of reprisal

faced reprisals after information on their conditions of detention and health situations were shared in December 2018 with the United Nations special procedures, including recorded testimonies. Their conditions and the treatment of their family members while visiting prison reportedly worsened following action by three special procedures mandate holders on 12 February 2019 (ARE 2/2019).

Ms. Maryam Soulayman Al-Ballushi was detained on 19 February 2015 and accused of “financing terrorism” because of her donation to a Syrian family. She was transferred to a secret detention center in solitary confinement where she stayed for five months, and was reportedly interrogated and subjected to beatings on the head and threatened with rape. It is alleged that a confession was obtained under duress and, on 12 April 2016, Ms. Al-Ballushi was sentenced to 5 years prison at Al-Wathba prison.

Engagement with UN body
  • UN Special Procedures: thematic
Dates of engagement
December 2018; 12 February 2019
Type of attempted engagement
  • Submission of information to UN
  • UN raised case of person/organization
Dates of mentioned reprisals
after information was submitted to UN; 4 May 2019
Location of mentioned reprisals
Al-Wathba prison
Reprisal information

Their conditions and the treatment of their family members while visiting prison reportedly worsened Ms. Maryam Soulayman Al-Ballushi was detained on 19 February 2015 and accused of “financing terrorism” because of her donation to a Syrian family. She was transferred to a secret detention center in solitary confinement where she stayed for five months, and was reportedly interrogated and subjected to beatings on the head and threatened with rape. It is alleged that a confession was obtained under duress and, on 12 April 2016, Ms. Al-Ballushi was sentenced to 5 years prison at Al-Wathba prison. After information was submitted about the situation of Ms. Al-Ballushi and others to the United Nations special procedures, the family was reportedly contacted by a female State Security officer who threatened to bring Ms. Al-Ballushi to trial again and lay new charges against her. She also threatened to harm the family members if Ms Al-Ballushi kept denouncing her detention conditions.

On 4 May 2019, shortly after Ms. Abdulnoor’s death, allegedly because they were seen as information sources to advocates abroad including the United Nations, Ms. Al- Ballushi and her cellmate, Ms. Amina Alabduli, were subjected to unequal treatment within the prison. Ms. Alabduli had been arrested in November 2015 and sentenced in October 2016 to 5 years charged with “inciting hatred against the State and disturbing public order; undermining the reputation of the State institutions, and publishing false information to endanger the State’s relations with its allies.” Following the death in custody of Ms. Abdulnoor, six police officers reportedly entered and searched the cell of Ms. Al-Ballushi and Ms. Alabduli and stamped on and confiscated their religious books. It is reported that they are both constantly abused by other inmates, which the prison administration reportedly has not addressed. Beyond requesting protection from the prison administration, they have complained about the systematic ill-treatment they are subjected to, compared to other detainees.

Types of reprisals suffered
  • Family/friends/acquaintances targeted
  • Property damage/raid/search/confiscation
  • Threats/Intimidations (incl. "fear of reprisal")
  • Physical attack: Torture/Cruel, inhuman, degrading treatment
Alleged/likely perpetrators
State actors
Was the reprisal based on new legislation?
No
Does the report make general comment about country’s environment for engagement with UN?
No
Is the country cited for a "pattern of reprisal" in the context of this case?
No
Is a pattern of reprisals mentioned otherwise in the context of this case?
No
Does the report cite "self-censorship" as an issue in the context of this case?
No
How many times has the case been followed up in subsequent SG reports?
2
In which SG report was this case followed up on? 0
2020
Follow up information provided in SG report 0

  1. The cases of Ms. Alya Abdulnoor, Ms. Maryam Soulayman Al-Ballushi and Ms. Amina Alabduli were included in the 2019 report of the Secretary-General (A/HRC/42/30, para. 79 and Annex I, paras. 105–109). It was reported to OHCHR that their conditions had worsened after information was transmitted to the UN, and allegations of torture and ill- treatment in detention, and lack of appropriate medical treatment for the three women were raised by special procedures (ARE 2/2019). 86 Ms. Abdulnoor died in custody on 4 May 2019, despite pleas from the UN for assistance. 87

  2. It was reported to OHCHR that, on 30 July 2019, Ms. Al-Ballushi and Ms. Alabduli were brought before the Federal State Security prosecutor for three new charges under Federal Law No.5 of 2012 on Combating Cybercrimes, relating to their efforts to raise awareness about their cases. The charges included “leaking wrong information,” “affecting the reputation of the UAE and Al Wathba prison negatively,” and “causing problems between countries.” Neither Ms. Al-Ballushi nor Ms. Alabduli reportedly have had access to legal counsel in relation to these charges. It was further reported that in February 2020, Ms. Al-Ballushi and Ms. Alabduli were placed in solitary confinement every Sunday, Monday and Thursday (the days when they had been previously able to contact their families) in retaliation for their refusal to provide authorities with a recorded confession intended for broadcast on Emirati television. On 23 February 2020, despite their poor health, they began a hunger strike in protest of their conditions and treatment.

  3. On 17 March 2020, special procedures mandate holders urged the Emirati authorities to investigate and reform detention conditions that amount to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, citing the cases of the three women. 88 The urgent call followed allegations that Ms. Al-Ballushi, accused of “financing terrorism” because of her donation to a Syrian family, attempted suicide due to degrading conditions in the Al-Wathba prison in Abu Dhabi (see ARE 2/2019). The mandate holders stated that “Ms. Al-Ballushi has also been subjected to reprisals following the official communication we sent to the UAE authorities.” 89

  4. On 14 July 2020, the Government responded to the note verbale sent in connection to the present report, refuting that Ms. Soulayman Al-Ballushi, Ms. Alabduli, Mr. Mekkaoui, Mr. Shaker Az have been subject to arbitrary detention or torture, or been placed in solitary confinement. The Government indicated that all have received the necessary health care and that while family visits were suspended due to COVID-19, all individuals have the right to phone calls. It noted that Ms. Abdulnoor was serving her sentence for abetting terrorism because of her support to Al Qaeda when the breast cancer she had before incarceration worsened, and she died in custody under the care of the State. The Government refutes the allegations pertaining to Mr. Mansoor, who they state has received regular medical care and meals and the alleged hunger strike is not true.

Followup Trends 0
Deterioration/further reprisals
Did the government respond? 0
Yes
Was this case followed up by a UN body? 0
  • UN Special Procedures: Thematic
In which SG report was this case followed up on? 1
2021
Follow up information provided in SG report 1
  1. The cases of Ms. Maryam Soulayman Al-Ballushi and Ms. Amina Alabduli were included in the 2020 and 2019 reports of the Secretary-General.254 They were arrested in 2015 on state security charges and sentenced to five years in prison, and it was reported to OHCHR that their conditions had worsened after information was transmitted to the UN. In February 2019, special procedures mandate holders had raised allegations of torture and ill-treatment in detention and lack of appropriate medical treatment (ARE 2/2019), to which the Government responded.255 Subsequently, in July 2019, Ms. Al-Ballushi and Ms. Alabduli were brought before the Federal State Security prosecutor for three new charges under Federal Law No.5 of 2012 on Combating Cybercrimes, relating to their efforts to raise awareness about their cases (see also ARE 2/2019).256 The Government, in its response, affirmed that the two women were serving their sentences in accordance with the law and that they were not detained arbitrarily, tortured or held in solitary confinement. The Government noted that the charges for which the women were sentenced affected State security and were classified as terrorism offenses.
  2. In November 2020, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found the detention of Ms. Al-Ballushi and Ms. Alabduli arbitrary, urged their immediate release and called on the Government to provide compensation and other reparations (A/HRC/WGAD/2020/61, paras. 97–99).257 The Working Group noted that “their prosecution on new charges appears to be a clear reprisal for seeking the assistance of the international community” (para. 77) and took note of allegations that the two women “have faced reprisals, including ill-treatment in detention that appears to be based on their gender, for having brought their conditions of detention to the attention of special procedures” (para. 94). It was reported to OHCHR in May 2021 that Ms. Al-Ballushi and Ms. Alabduli had finished serving their sentences in November 2020 but have not yet been released. It is alleged that they were transferred from Al Wathba prison in 2020, but their current whereabouts are unknown
Followup Trends 1
Deterioration/further reprisals
Date of follow up 1
November 2020
Did the government respond? 1
Yes
Was this case followed up by a UN body? 1
  • UN Special Procedures: Thematic