Former UN rights chief Mary Robinson pulls out of Dubai festival over jailed activist

The former United Nations human rights commissioner, Mary Robinson, has boycotted the Arab world's biggest literary festival in Dubai, responding to an open letter by a group of prominent figures calling for the unconditional release of an Emirati activist.

Robinson, who became the first woman to be elected president of Ireland 28 years ago, said she would not be attending the festival in response to the open letter received by The Guardian, her Dublin-based foundation said in a statement Monday.

The letter, organized by the International Campaign for Freedom in the UAE (ICFUAE), calls on Emirati authorities to “immediately and unconditionally release prisoner of conscience Ahmed Mansoor.”

It has been signed by activists, academics, British politicians, comedians, as well as linguist Noam Chomsky.

PressTV-UAE upholds 10-year jail term against top activist

The UAE has upheld a 10-year jail term and a hefty fine against Emirati activist Ahmed Mansoor.

Robinson’s move was welcomed by a campaigns manager for the ICFUAE, Joe Odella, who also urged “other attendees to follow suit.”

“The festival claims to celebrate freedom of expression, yet so many in the UAE have been detained for exercising this very right,” Odell was quoted by the London-based online news website Middle East Eye.

“As long as he [Mansoor] remains in prison, it is farcical for UK authors to travel to Dubai and celebrate the power of the written word,” Odell added.

Mansoor was arrested in March 2017 and sentenced in May to ten years in prison by Abu Dhabi’s Federal Appeals Court for “defaming the UAE through social media channels.”

Robinson was set to attend the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature on March 2, according to the Mary Robinson Foundation. The event, which is planned to be held for nine days from March 1, is being sponsored by Dubai’s ruler and the UAE’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum.

Robinson’s decision to boycott the event follows a controversy that was sparked late last year after she was seen in a picture with a princess who disappeared after she was forcefully brought back to her home country following a failed escape.

Latifa bint Mohammed al-Maktoum, the daughter of the Emirati prime minister, caught media attention in December 2018, after she was allegedly seized by UAE commandos from a yacht off the Indian coast in March 2018 and brought back to the country against her will.

Latifa, 33, had not been heard from until she was first seen in the picture with Robison — who had been invited by Latifa’s family to meet her. The princess’ friends and human rights groups had been concerned about her safety

Robinson came under criticism for acting as a “pawn” of the UAE by posing for the picture. She defended her trip to Dubai at the time, saying the princess was “in the loving care of her family.” Human rights campaigners however, said Robinson had failed to answer critical questions lingering over Latifa’s nine-month disappearance.

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