Abu Dhabi 'must establish rule of law'
Lord Soley writes for ePolitix.com ahead of his question in the House of Lords on the Abu Dhabi government.
Abu Dhabi is oil-rich and could be a beacon for a new Middle East. None of the countries in the region are models of democracy but, given the history of the area, this is not entirely surprising.
I take the view that the rule of law is essential to any modern state and a necessary precursor to full democracy. Several abuses of the law in Abu Dhabi give cause for concern.
The worst case is that of the brutal treatment handed out to an employee of Sheikh Essa, shown dramatically on YouTube. You will be shocked if you view this – it is appalling.
The
Al-Ghussein family is also a worrying example of the way the state has
used its power to destroy a businessman and his family.
Mr Al-Ghussein was a respected Palestinian businessman running one of the most successful companies in Abu Dhabi.
He
opposed the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq and earned himself the wrath of
Yasser Arafat, who enlisted the support of the Abu Dhabi government and
had him kidnapped and secreted out of the country to be held in Gaza.
He
was given category one status by the UN working party on arbitrary
detention. There has been a long-running attempt by the family to get
their property back.
Sadly Mr Al-Ghussein died a few years ago.
Attempts
to get the family's property restored in Abu Dhabi have all failed but,
as pressure grows, there is hope that the government will address the
issue.
Failure to do so will send a damaging message to other potential investors in the country.
More recently a British naturalised Sudanese business man's son vanished in Abu Dhabi and the Observer newspaper reports that Mr Elhaj believes that corrupt UAE officials handed his son over to kidnappers - similar to the way Mr Al-Ghussein was given up.
Abu
Dhabi could take the lead on the rule of law. They have enough national
wealth to establish a school of law in the territory.
In my
question I will seek to start a debate in the UK, EU and US where I am
in discussions with other legislators about this problem.
It needs a joint approach from everyone who would like to see Abu Dhabi establish the rule of law.
