Key facts
- UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has pardoned Egyptian poet Abdul Rahman Yusuf al-Qaradawi.
- Al-Qaradawi was sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined Dh200,000 by the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal.
- He was extradited from Lebanon to the UAE after posting critical social media videos.
- UN human rights experts raised concerns about his alleged 'forced disappearance' and the politically motivated nature of his extradition process.
UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has issued a pardon for Egyptian poet and activist Abdul Rahman Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who had been sentenced to 10 years in prison. The conviction and sentence were handed down by the Cybercrime Circuit of the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal on August 27, along with a fine of Dh200,000.
Al-Qaradawi, who holds dual Egyptian-Turkish nationality, was initially detained in Lebanon in January. His extradition to the UAE was prompted by a video he posted on social media while visiting Syria, in which he expressed critical views of the Egyptian, Emirati, and Saudi authorities. Both Egypt and the UAE had issued extradition requests, with Lebanese authorities acting on the Emirati warrant on January 8.
Following his extradition, reports indicated that al-Qaradawi remained "forcibly disappeared" for several months without formal charges. In March, a group of United Nations human rights experts voiced alarm over his continued disappearance and called on the UAE to reveal his whereabouts. They also expressed concerns about the legality and political motivation behind the extradition process, which was initiated by an arrest warrant from the Arab Interior Ministers’ Council (AIMC). The experts stated that such processes are being exploited by some states to suppress dissent and target activists beyond their borders.