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Alert

ANHRI urges authorities to investigate death threats against detained blogger, activist

(ANHRI/IFEX) - 10 August 2011 - The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) calls on authorities to launch a serious investigation into death threats received by detained blogger and activist Ahmed Mansoor. The threats came after the launch of an organized defamation campaign aimed at portraying him as a traitor who wishes to destabilize the country.

Mansoor's lawyers have filed several complaints regarding the matter with the police since April. However, the complaints were not taken seriously and the authorities have not launched an investigation or taken any measures to address the issue during the last four months.

Following his participation on the online forum "Emirati dialogue" (Emirati Hiwar), Mansoor is being tried, along with four other activists, for "insulting the head of state," "destabilizing the country", "inciting sectarian strife", and other charges, all of which are lacking in evidence.

"Having neglected to investigate the threats received by Ahmed Mansoor, the Emirati authorities open the door to interpretations regarding their involvement, or at the very least, their indifference to these practices," says ANHRI. ANHRI urges the Emirati authorities to take positive steps in the case of Ahmed Mansoor and his four fellow activists in order to prove that the U.A.E. respects human rights, especially the right to freedom of peaceful expression.