DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — International rights groups are calling on the United Arab Emirates to release from custody five political activists who have campaigned for democratic reforms in the oil-rich Gulf country.
The groups, including the New York-based Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, say in a joint statement Sunday the activists should be released because the government has presented "no legitimate evidence" to support charges against them.
The activists, including a prominent blogger and an academic, have been charged with insulting the UAE’s rulers and using an online forum to conspire against the state. They were arraigned during a closed-door hearing in Abu Dhabi’s Federal Supreme Court last month.
Another hearing in the case is scheduled for Monday.
