News - World: United Nations official criticized the UAE's listing of Emirati human rights activists on the terrorist list as part of Abu Dhabi's efforts to suppress any peaceful opposition and restrict public freedoms.

Marie LeLoire, the Special Rapporteur on situation of human rights defenders at the United Nations, expressed her dissatisfaction with the UAE's listing of four Emirati human rights activists on the terrorism list, describing it as disturbing news.

Leloire shared on her Twitter page a story published by the Gulf (Persian) Center for Human Rights about the inclusion of three Emirati human rights defenders and an Emirati researcher on the terror list issued by the UAE authorities.

Last week, the Emirati authorities announced the inclusion of 38 people and 15 companies on the government’s (terror list) including 4 Emirati dissidents living outside the country: Ahmed Al Shaiba Al Nuaimi, Mohammed Saqr Al Za'abi, Hamad Al Shamsi and Saeed Al Tunaiji.

There is no information about the rest of the individuals who belong to more than one Arab and Islamic country, if they really belong to terrorist organizations or if the goals are political, as is the case with the four activists.

Publishing the names without motives for including them on the terrorist lists confirms the policy of repression. Judicial authorities mention a reasoned indictment when accusing anyone, and accusation of terrorism is the most serious type of accusation.

International human rights organizations question the way in which the UAE Cabinet has categorized and chosen the (terror list), in light of the policy of targeting any opposition opinion or human rights defender.

It is noteworthy that Leloire sent several letters during the last period to the UAE authorities regarding the situation of human rights defenders.

The UN expert condemned the UAE authorities' continued policy of arbitrarily detaining human rights defenders and treating them inhumanely, calling on the UAE authorities to release them immediately.