The Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) received with deep sorrow the news of the death of Emirati prisoner of conscience Ali Abdullah Al-Khaja at the age of 59, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

On 19 November 2025, Al-Khaja died in his cell at Al-Razeen Prison in Abu Dhabi, following the death of his father on 08 November 2025. The UAE authorities prevented him from attending his father’s funeral and mourning ceremonies, reportedly informing him of his father’s death more than a week later.

He was arbitrarily arrested on 28 August 2012, without a warrant. On 02 July 2012, he was one of the members of the UAE 94 group who faced the outcome of the sham trial that lacked even the most basic international standards of fair trial and due process. He was unjustly sentenced to ten years in prison followed by three years of probation.

On 28 August 2022, he completed his sentence, but instead of releasing him, the authorities transferred him to the counseling section of Al-Razeen Prison, claiming he allegedly posed a “terrorist” threat.

Al-Khaja was also one of the UAE 84 members referred to trial in early December 2024 before the State Security Chamber of the Abu Dhabi Court of Appeal on fabricated charges of establishing and supporting a terrorist organisation.

On 10 July 2024, the Federal Court of Appeal in Abu Dhabi issued sentences ranging from 10 years to life imprisonment against 53 defendants in the UAE 84 group in the second largest mass trial of its kind in the UAE. Al-Khaja was sentenced to ten years in prison.

GCHR believes that the authorities deliberately withheld medical treatment from prisoner of conscience Ali Al-Khaja, leading to his death, and that his torture and ill-treatment in prison, documented by human rights organisations, were key factors in the deterioration of his health.

Recommendations

GCHR calls on the UAE government to:

1. Launch an immediate, thorough, and impartial investigation into the true causes of the death of prisoner of conscience Ali Al-Khaja, with the aim of publishing the findings and bringing those responsible to justice in accordance with international standards;

2. Release all detained human rights defenders and prisoners of conscience;

3. Implement the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules) in all UAE prisons; and

4. Guarantee, under all circumstances, that human rights defenders and journalists in the UAE are able to carry out their legitimate human rights work without fear of reprisal and without undue restrictions, including judicial harassment.