GENEVA — “An increasing phenomenon of transnational repression targeting human rights defenders living in exile”. During a side event organised by the Committee for Justice (CFJ) on 2 July 2025, Samar Elhussieny, Executive Director at the Egyptian Human Rights Forum, highlighted the escalating, systematic repression of human rights defenders, explaining that Egyptian authorities have implemented what she called “coordinated repression” through a series of policies and measures that target activists both inside the country and those living in exile.
Ahmed Attallah, Executive Director at the Egyptian Front for Human Rights, also denounced security cooperation between Egypt and other regional governments to pursue opposition members and human rights defenders. He cited the case of Abdulrahman Al-Qaradawi, an Egyptian Turkish national who, on 28 December 2024, was arrested in Lebanon upon his return from Damascus and was subsequently unlawfully extradited to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). A few days after his arrest, his transfer was requested by the Emirati authorities on apparent charges of “spreading fake news” and “disturbing public security” based on a social media video he posted in which he criticised the Egyptian, Saudi, and Emirati authorities.
Arbitrary arrest and detention raised concerns of the UN Special Rapporteurs
The extradition of Abdulrahman Al-Qaradawi from Lebanon to the UAE has drawn sharp criticism from UN human rights experts, who warn that it reflects a broader crackdown on dissent.
On 8 January 2025, UN experts—including Irene Khan, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression—urged the Lebanese authorities not to send Al-Qaradawi to the UAE and described his arrest and extradition as a “…disguised effort to stifle freedom of expression, and silence dissent and legitimate critical voices living in exile.”
Less than two months later, on 5 March 2025, UN experts issued a second statement, highlighting that “…exercising the right to freedom of expression, including political comment or criticism, is not a crime.” They warned that “…conflating political criticism with threats to State security or terrorism constitutes an assault on freedom of expression” and poses a serious threat to human rights defenders and political activists. The Lebanese government ignored these strong statements and facilitated Al-Qaradawi’s extradition to the UAE, although he is neither an Emirati citizen nor has he committed any crime on Emirati soil.
The promptness with which UN experts issued public statements, twice within a matter of months, underscores the urgency of the case and the grave risks Abdulrahman Al-Qaradawi faces. Since then, his legal team, led by Rodney Dixon KC, has formally called on Lebanon’s new Prime Minister to investigate the circumstances surrounding Al-Qaradawi’s extradition to the UAE and to take all necessary steps to secure his return. However, they have yet to receive any response from the Lebanese authorities.
Inhuman conditions of detention amounting to torture
Abdulrahman Al-Qaradawi has now been held in solitary confinement in the UAE for over 180 days in an undisclosed location without being brought before a court or granted access to his family or legal counsel of his choosing. Throughout this period, UAE authorities have provided no information regarding his status or well-being.
In a joint statement of 8 January 2025, Alice Jill Edwards, the UN Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, expressed serious concern and warned that there were “…substantial grounds to believe that he would be in danger of torture, enforced disappearance or other grave human rights violations.”
Multiple international organisations, including the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), have documented persistent abuses in UAE prisons, such as sleep deprivation, prolonged exposure to bright lighting, overcrowded cells, extended solitary confinement, lengthy interrogations, and psychological threats. There is a widespread and systematic use of such methods in Emirati detention centres and Al-Qaradawi is allegedly being subjected to conditions that significantly below international standards.
Referring to reports from the UN Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture—which have concluded that solitary confinement, especially when prolonged, may amount to torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment and noting the intense mental distress caused by uncertainty over the length of detention—Al-Qaradawi’s legal team has stressed that such prolonged and indefinite solitary confinement amounts to torture.
Arrest warrants issued by the Arab Interior Ministers Council (AIMC) raise concerns over politically motivated extraditions
The Arab Interior Ministers’ Council (AIMC), the specialised body of the League of Arab States tasked with fostering regional cooperation on internal security and crime prevention, faces mounting criticism for facilitating politically motivated arrests and extraditions.
Human rights organisations, including MENA Rights Group and Freedom House, have documented how AIMC has increasingly used expansive counterterrorism laws to circulate arrest warrants and extradition requests to target political dissidents and human rights defenders. In recent years, AIMC mechanisms have reportedly been used to pursue Egyptian American activists, Saudi dissidents, and Turkish nationals travelling abroad—raising serious concerns about the abuse of regional security cooperation tools.
Although AIMC’s legal framework explicitly prohibits extraditions for “crimes of a political nature”, such transfers continue. The lack of an independent oversight body has left the Council vulnerable to exploitation by authoritarian regimes within the Arab League.
In a 2023 letter addressed to AIMC, UN Special Procedures mandate holders reminded member states of their obligation to ensure that counterterrorism efforts comply with international human rights standards. They also urged the Council to align its strategies with international best practice, including legal reviews.
Nevertheless, human rights groups reported that little has changed since. In an open letter published in February 2025, MENA Rights Group and a coalition of 15 civil society organisations called on AIMC to undertake “…urgent reforms, in consultation with civil society, to align its legal framework and systems with international human rights law.”
