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Sedition: Defence
dismisses charges

In the final day of submissions on Tuesday, the defendants took aim at UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Anwar Mohammed Gargash, before Presiding Judge Falah Al Hajiri fixed the date for the verdict to be pronounced.

Lawyer Abdul Hameed Al Kumaiti put forward counter-criticism to that levelled by Gargash.

“Dr Anwar Mohammed Gargash described the defendants as traitors, while I say they are more loyal, more educated and true originally than him, so there is no debate over patriotism.”

Al Kumaiti’s submissions also sought to discredit a source whose evidence was used by security agencies and prosecution. He said the source, who had supposedly intimidated the defendants into acting against the government when he worked as the director of the Hayatona TV Channel, described as the secret organisation’s media wing, was not a UAE citizen and had been deported from the country before sneaking back in.

“And now he is rewarded by being given a post as sectional head in a government department, and has a Dh500,000 car, and moves to live from one house to another... How come his statements against noble persons are taken into consideration?”

Al Kumaiti also listed grievances of the defendants themselves, reiterating claims the defendants had been assaulted and tortured, as well as claiming the Public Prosecution had not listened properly to the defendants.

“Stripping off the UAE citizenship from seven defendants is illegal as the law stipulates that the citizenships may be withdrawn from those who got it by naturalisation only and not under the rule of the law as was the case with those whose citizenships were withdrawn,” he said.

In legal challenges, Al Kumaiti said 86 of the defendants were not working at the time they were accused of plotting to overthrow the government. “Therefore, how can it be said they were attempting to take over the country’s institutions?”

Whoever criticised the ruling system was referred to as anti-government, he said.

Lawyer Hamdan Al Zayoudi, attorney of eight accused, clarified to the court that most of his clients had not been recorded or detected at any secret meetings.

His clients did not know each other, and their names were given accidentally in the statements of some other co-accused detained in the case, he said.

Meanwhile, defence lawyer Ali Al Hadad, who is defending only one of the accused, told the court that it was not stated by the police or any of the accused in the investigation records that his client was a member of the said clandestine organisation. He said his client’s name had been accidentally caught up when his brother, also a defendant, asked him to host guests at his house due to the spacious Majlis. Some of the guests were other co-defendants, but Al Hadad said his client had no knowledge of the organisation or what had been going on during the meeting.

Another lawyer Jassim Al Naqabi, who spoke for nine defendants, read out four messages on their behalf — reiterating their loyalty to the UAE and religious righteousness; he gave an assurance to the country’s Rulers that the men were loyal to them despite circumstances they found themselves in; he told the security agency his clients were not enemies but were “united”; and the final message was to media to avoid helping people overseas “conspiring” against them.