UN human rights experts* today called on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to halt plans to forcibly repatriate 18 Yemeni
nationals who had previously been held at Guantanamo Bay, saying their forced return put their lives at risk and
violated international human rights and humanitarian law.
The former Guantanamo inmates were resettled to the UAE from November 2015 to January 2017 and, for humanitarian
reasons, were reportedly provided with assurances that they would spend 6-12 months in a residential rehabilitation
programme, before being released into Emirati society and reunited with their families.
“We are seriously concerned about the secrecy surrounding the terms and mode of implementation of this resettlement
programme agreed between the UAE and the United States,” the experts said.
“It is worrying that instead of undergoing a rehabilitation programme, or otherwise be released, that these men have
been subjected to continuous arbitrary detention at an undisclosed location,” the experts said. “Now they are at risk of
being forcibly repatriated to their native Yemen amid an ongoing armed conflict and a profound humanitarian crisis.”
The 18 detainees were allegedly forced to sign documents consenting to their repatriation, or otherwise remain
indefinitely in Emirati detention.
“This repatriation process is happening without any form of judicial guarantees, or individual examination and
assessment of risks, which blatantly violates the absolute prohibition of non-refoulement under international human rights and humanitarian law,” the experts said.
No State has the right to expel, return or otherwise remove any individual from its territory whenever there are
“substantial grounds” for believing that the person would be in danger of being subjected to torture in the State of
destination.
“The ongoing armed conflict in Yemen, where non-State armed actors control parts of the territory and a humanitarian
crisis is reported, does not allow the provision nor compliance with diplomatic assurances,” the experts said.
“Diplomatic assurances, where provided, do not release States from their obligations under international human rights,
humanitarian and refugee law, in particular the principle of non-refoulement.
“We express further alarm that after years of detention without charge or trial at Guantanamo Bay, the transferred
detainees are facing further lengthy periods of detention without charge or trial in the UAE, with very limited contact
with their families and no legal representation, while being subjected to ill-treatment,” the experts said.
“Resettled detainees seem to be systematically forced to return to their countries of origin where, in most cases, they
may face serious risks of torture and ill-treatment.
The UN experts had previously expressed similar concerns to the Emirati Government in July 2020. “We further demand that the UAE authorities disclose the terms of the resettlement programme, immediately release all
former detainees at Guantanamo Bay resettled in the UAE, and allow them to reunite with their families,” they said.