ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Ninety four people have gone on trial in the United Arab Emirates on charges of trying to overthrow the state as authorities barred international media and several rights groups from the proceedings.
The trial marks is the culmination of a crackdown that started last year on Islamist groups in the Emirates with suspected links to the Muslim Brotherhood. Rights groups have criticized the crackdown and it has also raised tensions with Egypt, which is governed by the Islamist group.
Monday’s hearing was attended by about 200 relatives of the defendants who were bussed to the security court in the capital, Abu Dhabi.
Khalid al-Roken, whose brother Mohammed is on trial, said before boarding a bus that the charges were baseless but that he remains hopeful his brother would be freed.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition
by email and never miss our top stories
By signing up, you agree to the
terms
Your next read: ToI Editors' Picks
LIMITED TIME OFFER: Join The Times of Israel Community today and you'll receive a physical book of your choice, carefully curated by our editors.
Choose between two must-reads: When We See You Again by Rachel Goldberg-Polin, a searing portrait of a mother’s grief and strength following unthinkable tragedy;
Or Out of the Sky: Heroism and Rebirth in Nazi Europe by Matti Friedman, the gripping and surprising tale of a forgotten moment during World War II.
As a Community member, you’ll also enjoy our DocuNation series of outstanding Israeli documentary films, an ad-free experience of our site and podcasts, commenting privileges, and more.
CHOOSE YOUR BOOK
CHOOSE YOUR BOOK
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
