UAE arrests 10 more in clamp
Dubai, July 29, 2012
At least 10 local Islamists have been arrested in the UAE over the past several days as part of a widening crackdown on dissidents,
activists said on Sunday.
The arrests brought to at least 20 the number of dissidents, most of them Islamists, detained since July 15 when the UAE said it was
investigating a foreign-linked group planning "crimes against the security of the state". .
Activists say around 40 have been arrested since March. Many of them are Emiratis but an Omani and stateless residents of the UAE
were among those detained.
Interior Ministry officials were not available for comment.
The UAE allows no organised political opposition. It has avoided the political unrest that that have swept the Arab region thanks in part to
its cradle-to-grave welfare system.
Relatives and activists said most of those arrested have links to the local al-Islah (Reform) Islamist group, which has been the target of a
crackdown in the UAE.
Last week, Dubai police chief Dahi Khalfan warned of an "international plot" to overthrow the governments of Gulf Arab countries,
saying the region needed to be prepared to counter any threat from Islamist dissidents as well as Syria and Iran. - Reuters
