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Emirati activist held under 'abhorrent' conditions, rights group says

Since his arrest in 2017, Ahmed Mansoor has been held in solitary confinement without access to basic necessities, Human Rights Watch said.
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The United Arab Emirates is holding activist Ahmed Mansoor under “abhorrent detention conditions” that violate his rights as a prisoner, according to a new report from Human Rights Watch.

Mansoor, an electrical engineer, poet and human rights defender, was arrested by Emirati security forces in a late-night house raid in 2017. The father of four was later handed a 10-year jail sentence and fine of 1 million dirhams ($272,000) in 2018 for “insulting the status and prestige of the UAE,” a charge connected to social media posts that were critical of the UAE government or called for reform. 

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