Update, 13 May 2026: Al-Roken completed his ten-year UAE-94 sentence on 17 July 2022 but was not released. He was tried again in the UAE-84 "Justice and Dignity" case and sentenced on 10 July 2024 to life imprisonment, one of 43 defendants given life; the Federal Supreme Court upheld this sentence on 4 March 2025. He has been imprisoned continuously since 17 July 2012.

Background and Work

Mohamed Al-Roken is a human rights lawyer who spent his career defending victims of state abuse in the United Arab Emirates. His clients included activists prosecuted under the country's expanding security laws, bloggers targeted for online speech, and fellow human rights defenders facing criminal charges for their work. He represented the UAE 5, a group of defenders convicted and sentenced to prison in November 2011, later released under presidential amnesty.

He attended the Front Line Defenders Dublin Platform in 2003, part of a regional network of lawyers and defenders working across the Gulf. His legal practice made him a prominent voice in a shrinking space for dissent.

The Arrest and the UAE 94 Trial

On 17 July 2012, Mohamed Al-Roken was arrested. He became one of the defendants in what became known as the UAE 94 case, a mass trial of government critics and reform activists. The trial began on 4 March 2013 before the Federal Supreme Court. Among the 94 were human rights defenders, judges, academics, and student leaders.

During his detention, he was denied access to his lawyer. He was subjected to psychological intimidation. Multiple defendants in the trial reported torture and other ill-treatment before and after the proceedings. The trial ended with convictions and lengthy prison sentences for dozens of the accused. Mohamed Al-Roken was sentenced to ten years in prison.

Indefinite Detention After Sentence Completion

In July 2022, Mohamed Al-Roken completed his ten-year sentence. Authorities refused to release him. Under the 2014 anti-terrorism law, prisoners can be detained beyond the end of their terms for what the law calls counseling and rehabilitation. He was transferred to a counseling center inside the prison. The authorities claimed he still posed an ideological threat.

The 2014 counter-terrorism law contains a vague and overly broad definition of terrorism. It treats a wide range of activities protected under international human rights standards as terrorism. The law allows for lengthy prison terms and the death penalty. It has been used systematically to silence critics and extend the detention of those who have already served their sentences.

The UAE 84 Trial and Further Sentencing

On 7 December 2023, Mohamed Al-Roken was brought before the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal on new terrorism-related charges. He was one of 84 defendants in a case that became known as Justice and Dignity or the UAE 84 case. It was the second-largest security case in UAE history. The trial proceeded quickly. On 10 July 2024, the court sentenced Mohamed Al-Roken and 42 other defendants to life imprisonment.

He appealed. On 4 March 2025, the State Security Department of the UAE Federal Supreme Court rejected the appeal and upheld the life sentence. The judgment is final.

Legal Context and the Shrinking Space for Dissent

The space for dissent in the United Arab Emirates has contracted sharply over the past decade. In 2012, the government enacted a cybercrime law used to prosecute social media activists and others who defend freedom of expression online. The 2014 counter-terrorism law followed, entrenching the repression with provisions that criminalize a broad spectrum of peaceful activity.

Mohamed Al-Roken has been imprisoned for more than fourteen years. He was convicted twice on security charges for activity that falls within the scope of his work as a human rights lawyer and his peaceful exercise of the rights to freedom of expression and association. He remains in detention with no clear prospect of release.

Recognition and International Response

In 2014, while imprisoned, Mohamed Al-Roken was nominated as a finalist for the Front Line Defenders Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk. In March 2023, a coalition of 13 organizations published a joint statement calling on the UAE government to release all those imprisoned following the UAE 94 trial solely for peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of expression and association. The statement urged authorities to investigate allegations of torture and ill-treatment, hold those responsible to account, and provide victims with effective remedies and reparation.