UK asked to obtain assurances from UAE over right to protest at COP28

Human-rights activists have reacted with scepticism to pledge by oil-rich Gulf state it will allow climate demonstrations

IHR-Advisors in the Financial Times on 11 August 2023

The Financial Times reports on correspondence sent by IHR-Advisors to the UK Foreign Secretary calling for an undertaking from the United Arab Emirates affirming the rights and safety of UK citizens travelling to the UAE to engage in peaceful demonstrations:

Ben Keith and Rhys Davies, UK barristers acting for a human-rights activist who wished to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals, said in their letter to Cleverly: “The accommodations apparently offered by the Emirati regime are profoundly flimsy and represent no sensible guarantee to either the right to protest in general or the safety of any protesters who may choose to do so.”

The letter added: “Dissidents are routinely arrested, and protests against the [UAE] government are crushed.” It said that speakers at a climate and health conference held in the Gulf state in April, were told not to protest or “criticise corporations” in a warning that cited the UAE’s laws.

The article continues:

In the letter, Keith and Davies asked Cleverly to clarify what steps, if any, the government was taking ahead of COP28 to ensure the rights of UK citizens will be respected if they engage in peaceful protest at the summit.

The pair also asked what specific advice the Foreign Office had for British nationals planning to travel to the UAE for the summit.

In response to a request for comment from the Financial Times, the Foreign Office pointed to its published travel advice for visiting the UAE, which does not mention COP28.

You can read the article in full, behind a paywall, here.