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| Arabia |
| Trial of UAE bloggers who called for reform to resume |
| 2011-07-18 |
| The trial of five bloggers who demanded democratic reforms in the UAE is set to resume on Monday. Ahmed Mansoor, Nasser bin Ghaith, Fahad Salim Dalk, Ahmed Abdul Khaleq and Hassan Ali al-Khamis stand accused of "publicly insulting" top officials in the UAE after being arrested in April. On Sunday, four international human rights groups released a statement condemning the trial and called for their release of the five activists. Ahmed Mansoor, an engineer and human rights advocate, and Nasser bin Ghaith, an economist and lecturer at Sorbonne University in the UAE, have been charged with using the site, UAE Hewar (Dialogue) to "conspire against the safety and security of the state in association with foreign powers." Mansoor also faces charges of inciting others and calling for demonstrations. In March, he backed a petition signed by more than 130 people demanding an elected parliament with legislative powers. |
| Posted by:ryuge |