”Poor Arab and Emirati intellectuals and thinkers!” bewails Ahmed Al Mouhareb [1] [ar] while reporting on his Twitter account the deferment the trial of the blogger and activist Ahmed Mansour and of four of his companions until September 26 [2] [en]. Arrested in the beginning of April 2011, after having signed a petition calling for democratic reforms, Ahmed Mansour is accused of threatening state security, undermining public order and insulting the president, the vice president and the crown prince of Abu Dhabi [3][fr]. This trial has poor echo among medias or public opinion in UAE or elsewhere, however, Hassan Al Ibrahim tweets [4]that ”70 Arab academics announced their support for the detained and specified Ahmed Mansour” [en and ar].
United Arab Emirates: Adjournment of Blogger Ahmed Mansour's Tria
· Written by Thalia Rahme Translated by Thalia Rahme
Categories: Middle East & North Africa, United Arab Emirates, Citizen Media, Digital Activism, Freedom of Speech, Human Rights, Law, Politics