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bin Ghaith is an academic with a PhD in economics, with certifications in law, economics, and international relations. He received his Bachelor's Degree in Law from Dubai Police Academy, his Master's in Commercial Law from the [[Case Western Reserve University|Western Reserve University]] in Cleveland, and his PhD in economic groupings from the [[University of Essex]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2019-04-19 |title=Nasser bin Ghaith, United Arab Emirates |url=https://www.scholarsatrisk.org/actions/nasser-bin-ghaith-united-arab-emirates/ |access-date=2024-09-13 |website=Scholars at Risk |language=en-US}}</ref> At the time of his arrest, he was a lecturer at Paris-based university [[Sorbonne University]], Abu Dhabi Campus.<ref name=":1" /> Notably, he was the first Arab lecturer to be employed at the institution.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-02-27 |title=Nasser Bin Ghaith |url=https://sanidpocuae.com/en/nasser-bin-ghaith/ |access-date=2024-09-13 |website=ساند معتقلي الإمارات |language=en-GB}}</ref>
== Human
''Main Article: [[Human rights in the United Arab Emirates]]''
The
== UAE Five
''Main Article: [[UAE Five]]''
In 2011, bin Ghaith, along with four other activists, were arrested and put on trial for
== Second
In 2015, bin Ghaith was arrested by UAE state security forces in plainclothes and held in an undisclosed location for nearly 8 months.<ref name=":0" /> Dr. bin Ghaith was denied communication with family and legal representation.<ref name=":0" /> Dr. bin Ghaith faced several national security-related charges, including insulting the UAE government and leadership, communicating with secret terrorist organisations, and posting what authorities classified as "false information."<ref name=":0" /> At the time, Dr. bin Ghaith maintained a popular "[[Twitter]]" (now known as "X") account, where he raised concerns about human rights.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Staff |first=ADHRB |date=2016-10-19 |title=#Tried4Tweets: @N_BinGhaith – Nasser Bin Ghaith |url=https://www.adhrb.org/2016/10/tried4tweets-n_binghaith-nasser-bin-ghaith/ |access-date=2024-09-13 |website=Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain |language=en-US}}</ref>
The charges stemmed from a series of tweets in which bin Ghaith criticised Egyptian authorities, particularly concerning the "[[Rabaa massacre|Rabaa Massacre]]," as well as his meetings with human rights activists.<ref name=":0" /> Despite the absence of concrete evidence, bin Ghaith was convicted of all the charges laid against him and sentenced to ten years of prison in March 2017.<ref name=":0" />
== UAE84
In December 2023, UAE authorities charged at least 84 individuals in connection with the formation of the independent advocacy group, the Justice and Dignity Committee, established in 2010.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |date=2024-02-12 |title=United Arab Emirates: Free All Those on Trial in UAE84 Case and Drop Charges {{!}} Human Rights Watch |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/02/12/united-arab-emirates-free-all-those-trial-uae84-case-and-drop-charges |access-date=2024-09-13 |language=en}}</ref> Many of the defendants were already serving prison sentences for similar offences. The Emirates Detainees Advocacy Center reported that on 10 July 2024, the Abu Dhabi Federal Appeals Court issued sentences ranging from 10 years to life imprisonment to 53 defendants in the UAE’s second-largest mass trial, commonly referred to as the "UAE84" case.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |title=UAE84: Human rights defenders and political dissidents must be freed |url=https://en.edacrights.com/post/770 |access-date=2024-09-13 |website=Edacrights |language=en}}</ref> The accused were not charged with any new offences but were being tried again for charges linked to their previous involvement in the group, for which they had already faced prosecution.<ref name=":5" />
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Human rights organisations, advocacy groups, and major news outlets such as the BBC and The New York Times have reported on the UAE 84 trials, drawing significant mainstream attention.<ref>{{Cite web |title=More than 40 sentenced to life in UAE for 'terror' offences |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c51y783d9jeo |access-date=2024-09-17 |website=www.bbc.com |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-07-10 |title=U.A.E. Puts 84 Civil Society Members on Trial Again, Sentencing 43 to Life |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/10/world/middleeast/uae-trial-civil-society-members.html |website=The New York Times}}</ref>
== NGO
SAR issued a call to the UAE authorities on 26 April 2016, requesting the release of bin Ghaith or the disclosure of his whereabouts and the charges against him.<ref name=":9">{{Cite web |date=2016-04-26 |title=SAR calls for letters on behalf of Dr. Nasser bin Ghaith of the UAE |url=https://www.scholarsatrisk.org/2016/04/sar-calls-for-letters-on-behalf-of-dr-nasser-bin-ghaith-of-the-uae/ |access-date=2024-09-13 |website=Scholars at Risk |language=en-US}}</ref> According to SAR, UAE state security forces arrested bin Ghaith on 18 August 2015 and detained him in an undisclosed location, where he was allegedly denied access to his family, legal representation, and medical care.<ref name=":9" />
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