UAE Crown Prince
UAE sheikh in abuse tape scandal
A human rights group is calling on Abu Dhabi to take urgent action against the head of state's brother after video emerged of him torturing another man.
Human Rights Watch called for a full investigation into Issa bin Zayed al-Nahyan over the footage.
The United Arab Emirates Interior Ministry confirmed that the 45-minute video featured Sheikh Issa, but said the issue had been resolved privately.
The victim is seen being beaten, given electric shocks and crushed by a car.
A man in police uniform and several other men are seen assisting the sheikh in the abuse, as the terrified victim is held down in the sand.
The UAE says a police investigation found no breach of its rules in the incident.
A former business associate of Sheikh Issa al-Nahyan says he smuggled the video out of the UAE.
Bassam Nabulsi, who is suing the sheikh in a US federal court, gave a copy of the tape to the US television network ABC which broadcast clips, saying parts of it were too graphic to be shown.
Violation
The footage shows bullets being fired near Afghan businessman Mohammed Shah Poor as he lies tied up screaming on the desert floor. Sand is shovelled into his mouth.
He is also struck repeatedly with a plank with a protruding nail, and had salt rubbed into his wounds.
In the unbroadcast footage, an electric cattle prod reportedly is used on the private parts of the victim, who had been accused of cheating the sheikh in a business deal over a consignment of wheat.
Near the end of the tape, Poor is made to lie onto the ground and the sheikh drives over him repeatedly, with the sound of what appears to be breaking bones audible on the tape.
Human Rights Watch described the acts on the tape as a violation of the UAE's constitution and international law.
"The government's failure to prosecute those involved in this undisputed incident of torture and abuse at the hands of a royal family member and the police is an appalling miscarriage of justice," said HRW's Sarah Leah Watson.
It said the apparent involvement of a police officer was "tantamount to state complicity in the torture".
The UAE said the police investigated the events, and found that "all rules, policies and procedures were followed correctly by the Police Department", according to a letter seen by Human Rights Watch
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8023364.stm
I tried to see if any Qatari newspapers covered this, but couldn't find anything except this:
http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=287588...
Well, at least the fair-minded editors of Al-Jazeera followed this up:
[BLANK]
Or maybe not.
Not only has this man and others, I presume, suffered physically but has emotional scars forever. The physical wounds may heal not not the wounds of the heart. People who do this are absolute sadistic and evil. Their punishment is not on this earth but far greater than one can imagine.
Maybe he can get someone home delivered to his house for some fun?
brit,
judging from what i observe here in Qatar, i dont think the police would have the guts to stop him, if he wished to go out and torture somebody else!
Yes, but he can't go out hunting or indulge in other outdoor pursuits. It must be hell for him..
Perhaps they can send in the odd guy for him to beat up, just to keep his spirits up..
House arrest. Aww, poor Sheikh, walled up in his palace with his servants, cooks and family.
This is just code for 'The Sheikh has been told to keep a low profile until this blows over and the media forgets about it'.
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/05/09/uae.torture/index.html
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A member of the royal family of Abu Dhabi who was captured on videotape torturing an Afghan grain dealer has reportedly been detained, a senior U.S. State Department official told CNN Saturday.
The official said the government of the United Arab Emirates, which includes Abu Dhabi as one of its seven emirates, told the State Department that Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al Nahyan is under house arrest pending an investigation, but that the United States has not independently confirmed the development.
The videotape emerged last month in a federal civil lawsuit filed in Houston, Texas, by Bassam Nabulsi, a U.S. citizen, against the sheikh. Former business partners, the men had a falling out, in part over the tape. In a statement to CNN, the sheikh's U.S. attorney said Nabulsi is using the videotape to influence the court over a business dispute.
The tape of the heinous torture session is delaying the ratification of a civil nuclear deal between the United Arab Emirates and the United States, senior U.S. officials familiar with the case have said. The senior U.S. officials said the administration has held off on the ratification process because it believes sensitivities over the story can hurt its passage.
On Saturday, Human Rights Watch called the sheikh's reported detention "a significant development" but said the UAE government needs to do more to restore confidence in its judicial system.
"The videotape of this episode shocked the world," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "The report of the arrest was reassuring, but now the government needs to make the details public. Secretive prosecutions will not deter further abuses and torture."
On the tape, Sheikh Issa appears to burn with rage. Apparently believing he was cheated in a business deal, the sheikh was trying to extract a confession from the Afghan grain dealer.
With a private security officer assisting, Sheikh Issa is seen stuffing sand in the Afghan's mouth.
As the grain dealer pleads and whimpers, he is beaten with a nailed board, burned in the genitals with a cigarette lighter, shocked with a cattle prod and led to believe he would be shot. Salt is literally poured on his wounds.
The 45 minutes of torture appears on a nearly three-hour-long videotape shot in late 2004 in the desert outside Abu Dhabi. It was made at the direction of the sheikh himself.
The tape has been viewed by CNN. Video Watch portions of the tape and Nabulsi tell his story »
After international concerns over the tape mounted in late April, Abu Dhabi's government issued a statement saying it deplored the contents of the video and planned an immediate and comprehensive review of it.
The sheikh, who holds no official government position, is the half-brother of the UAE's ruler, President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Human Rights Watch sent a April 28 letter to the president imploring him to form "an independent body" to probe both the torture and and the "failure" of the UAE's Interior Ministry "to bring those involved to justice." The group reiterated that call Saturday.
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As for the grain dealer, UAE officials say he survived the ordeal, and said the sheikh and the grain dealer settled the matter privately by agreeing not to bring formal charges against each other.
However, Nabulsi's attorney, Anthony Buzbee, said the grain dealer can't be located and it is not known whether he is alive.
Popcorn girl, the difference is that the UAE government determined that no torture took place and that everything is fine.
The US government tried and prosecuted the wardens at Abu Gharaib and sentenced them to jail.
There are now moves to launch legal action against high level government figures for their part in approving the use of waterboarding.
That's the difference.
And as much as I hate waterboarding, I'm pretty sure it would be preferable to driving over a man in your car, prodding his genitals with an electrical cattle prod, shooting at him with live ammunition, and the other things that occured in this event.
This event will justifiably further tarnish the reputation of yet another Arab state in the eyes of Americans and the rest of the western world, and will certainly evoke more accusations of how the leaders of Muslim countries are sick vile creatures without an ounce of moral or ethical fiber.
And as for the 'it didn't happen here and nothing you can say will change it' comments, I guess then there's no point in commenting on the Gaza threads, the Darfur threads, the Mumbai threads...
quite understand why the US are making such a fuss of this. Think what they have done in the way of torture. He who is without sin etc .
this thread post here in QL.?
sick bastard incident..
my husband did not allow me to see the full video. he also did not see.
it is really cruel...
why the so-called religious bigots are silent ????
I have watched the video...
What kind of a man who can do such an horrible thing?...
He is sick....really really sick...
"Jack Frost VS Jack Cool"
is aware for this kind of situation,you will be so D. YOU. EM. B. IF YOU ARE NOT AWARE.
what kind of leveling is that?a kind of genius you both?why you pinays are like to make nosey discussion?are you kind of superhuman?
nothing hurting me.
Angel: What's hurting you?
Ayman
Only God Can Judge Me
الله فقط يمكنه محاكمتي
I am you and you are me, if you love i love, if you suffer i suffer
أنا أنت, و أنت أنا, إذا أحببت نفسك أحببت نفسي, إذا عانيتَ عانيتُ
publish that also here in QL,and you must be very careful
they will tie your birdie with your neck!
perhaps what?talk to obama maybe he will be aware also for this issue...
I got this mail and contents yesterday afternoon, from an Indian friend , who works in British Embassy in UAE.
Honestly, I was hesitant to post this news in this QL column. As expected the mainstream English newspapers also pretended they did not know this news !!!!!!!!!!
all i found out is that the tortured is an Afghan national called Mohamed Shah
if anyone has any follow up info about how he is and where he is - please post it
perhaps you should re-read your posts above. you seem to not understand what you are writing.
kadaut...
im not advising you gurl..are you people is a kind of nosey or what.?
will do for this case.awareness?why are you not aware for this kind of raised?just do your normal routine.thats all.
if you read the whole article, it looks like a compromise was already reached and the matter solved. now the other guy is out there just trying to stir his pot.
angel, i believe the poster wants us to know what is going on in another part of the world since we are living in the global village now. now you ask, why will this piece of an article matter to us who are not the victims nor emiratis nor the human rights group? simple angel. we are humans. and as humans, we should give a damn about those who are abused, whether a family member, a friend, a countryman, whoever. we owe it to ourselves and to our fellow humans.
kadaut...
angel, you take your own advice. thank you.
moving on...
kadaut...
do their shit.there is a time for those kind of people.the best thing you can do is shut you mouth,or do somethng not to bother for this shit issue..
perhaps not to the victim itself but to future generations of would be- victims. if it can be stopped now by giving light to it, should you not do it? and no i am not a super hero, just a human being.
kadaut...
what will you contribute to the victim..???
you can talk and talk and talk.do you think you are superhero?you can not do nothing...
the justice?you,me,everybody,all of us is nothing to do with justice to their own country.they will covered each other.money can talk in media.so what for you are posting this thread here in QL?just to broadcast to everybody here?come on make another post.not this kind of unhuman story...
MD: It bothers me but i don't know what else to say, i know how the rich and powerfull are protected everywhere, if it would be either you or me, we would alredy been detained and probably senteced.
Ayman
Only God Can Judge Me
الله فقط يمكنه محاكمتي
I am you and you are me, if you love i love, if you suffer i suffer
أنا أنت, و أنت أنا, إذا أحببت نفسك أحببت نفسي, إذا عانيتَ عانيتُ
It seems a lot of people here are not even touched by this deed. Are they "used" to this? This should be a thread with 4 000 posts at least. But I guess it is more important where to buy the latest fashion.
What a vile legal system where this man can get away with such an act.
Sometimes it seems like the Middle East is devoid of any ethics or morals.
Hi,
Every dark night is followed by a bright sunny day. So, patience and attention is required and things will be fruitful in near future.
George,
Baby Gear
don't see what the fuss is about...is it wrong?...absolutely...is anything going to be done about it?...absolutely not...i think people forget one thing...the word democracy does not exist in this neck of the woods...they OWN the country,they do what they want,to whom they want, on a regular basis...only this time,someone filmed it & it got to the right source to be broadcast...but anyone who's lived in these parts long enough knows that this happens in every country in this region & happens on a daily basis...just that none of it gets out & there is really nothing you or me can do about it...so as solidsnake9 rightly put it...one word...karma & you can bet it's going to come & bite him in the ass...
Well, at least the Crown Prince cares about abuse. At least when it doesn't concern his family:
http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=287352&version=1&template_id=37&parent_id=17
Child beaters get 10-year jail terms
AFP/Dubai
An Abu Dhabi court handed down 10-year prison sentences to a couple who beat their nine-year-old daughter causing her permanent scars and damage, newspapers reported yesterday.
Nouf’s father and stepmother confessed to beating her frequently as a disciplinary measure, while the stepmother admitted to sticking a hot knife against her thigh, The National said.
The girl’s paternal grandmother and a maid said the accused used to beat her on the head, sometimes smashing it to the wall, and singed the girl’s face and body by using hot utensils, Al Itihad reported.
Nouf’s case made the headlines this month after Abu Dhabi’s crown prince, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, paid a visit in hospital to the ill girl, whose case caused an outcry in the country, where such cases of child abuse are rare.
The court also ordered the couple, whose identity and nationality were not disclosed for legal reasons, to pay a fine of 160,000 dirhams ($44,000) for abusing their daughter.
But newspapers identified Nouf as an Emirati, meaning at least the father is a local.
Nouf is receiving treatment at a hospital in Abu Dhabi, where doctors say she was admitted in critical condition earlier this month.
Doctors alerted the police when they discovered bruises and burns on Nouf’s body, which did not match the father’s story that she had fallen off her bicycle. The couple have 30 days to appeal the maximum terms which were handed down.
one word.. "KARMA"
WE NEED A SUPERMAN OR CAT WOMAN TO PUNISH THESE KIND OF PEOPLE ON THE SPOT...LAW IS BLIND FOR THE RICH, FAMMOUS & POWERFULS....
WELL A DARK KNIGHT WOULD NOT MIND THE LAW.......JUST TAKE AN ACTION
The person tortured was an Afghan national.
this video is so shocking and sickening
http://www.rawa.org/temp/runews/2009/04/23/shocking-video-footage-shows-uae-royal-sheikh-brutally-torturing-afghan-man.html
I lived in the U.A.E for many years and we use to hear many such stories , not just killings , rape , paedophiles , many many , remember if this was done by an asian expat his photo and full name will be published every were in the media, if its a western expat it will be nameless western exapt, if a local B and D killed an asian
If it an elite you will never ever hear about this.
I love the article from GULF TIMES, OBVIOUSLY THE STANDARD OF LIVING IS IMPROVING A LOT ,
Formatted Soul, you are right...this happens everywhere. Many of the rich and famous are extremely powerful- and extremely corrupt. Absolute power corrupts absolutely, or so it's said.
What's just as sickening as the torture, is the UAE's official answer to the requests for explanation.
Horrendous.
It is well documented on the uaetorture site that he does this for own personal sexual gratification afterwards, and that all references to it are, of course, blocked from public view in the UAE.
-------------
"let's slip out of these wet clothes and into a dry martini" Mae West
am not surprises at all. i bet he done it many times before. people with power or money are more barbaric then poor people.
Everybody is right everybody is wrong, it depend where you stand
Amazing that a person of his public stature would be so fantastically cruel (and so supremely stupid, since he had himself videotaped doing it all).
Let's hope the UAE succumbs to pressure on this issue and punishes him appropriately instead of sticking to their story that an investigation already showed that all UAE rules and laws were followed (though I won't hold my breath for that to happen, as we all know blood is thicker than anything in this part of the world).
At the very least, maybe the US will deny him a visa for any future visits. I hate to imagine an abhorrent individual like this wanker, staying in MY friggin country, living high off the hog in the Four Season's Presidential Suite.
For those of you able to access these links:
Human Rights Watch website (with their original story about the Sheikh's abuse):
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/04/28/uae-prosecute-torture-royal-family-member
Parts of the video as aired on ABC network news program:
http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=7407186
"Most plain girls are virtuous because of the scarcity of opportunity to be otherwise."
-- Maya Angelou
horrible and extremely sad!!!!!!
____________________________________________________
Have Courage To Live.
Anyone Can Die.
Horrible...
Rules and law are not applicable for the Rich and Famous ...its only for the common man..
You can't teach experience...
Despicable, what these people are doing hidden behind wealthy masks of hypocrisy!
For sad details, see link below:
http://www.uaetorture.com/