Apr
23
Abu Dhabi – The royal family of the United Arab Emirates has been seriously embarrassed by a gruesome film which has appeared on the Internet. The video shows a man being brutally tortured by a brother of the country’s crown prince. While the video is the talk of the town amongst the expatriates living in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, the media in the UAE have been reluctant to report on the incident.
The shocking scenes were filmed at a farm just outside the capital Abu Dhabi in November 2004. They show Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, one of the 22 sheikhs in the UAE’s royal family, torturing an Afghani man.
Issa is the brother of Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan. He is also the step-brother of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan, one of the key figures in the UAE cabinet. The royal family controls the local media, which are not allowed to report on the affair.
Stolen grain
The extremely wealthy sheikh Issa accused the Afghani man, Mohammed Shah Poor of stealing 3,800 euros worth of grain. The scenes shown on YouTube are only fragments of a torture session which lasted at least 45 minutes. Sheikh Issa, who has taken the alleged thief outside, pushes his head in the sand with his knee. With his hand he attempts to choke the grain dealer by shoving sand in his mouth. The scene is illuminated by the headlights of the sheikh’s Mercedes jeep.
“Filthy dog! Donkey! Bastard!” The sheikh screams obscenities into his victim’s ear as he gets more and more violent. He first takes an automatic weapon and fires close to the defenseless man lying on the ground. He then beats him and sprinkles salt in his wounds. The sheikh also rapes the man with an electric stun baton.
The victim finally loses consciousness. The film ends with the sheikh riding his jeep over Poor’s legs. The sound of what appears to be breaking bones is audible on the tape. Another shocking fact is that a police officer in uniform helps Sheikh Issa during the torture session. He holds the Afghan down so that he cannot resist.
Business partner
A former business partner of the sheikh made sure that ABC News in the US received a copy of the video. He had received it from his brother, who had been asked by the sheikh to film the torture session. The former associate, who had quarreled with the sheikh over a business matter, decided to smuggle the images out of the country. First he was tortured by police after he refused to hand over the video tapes.
The businessman is using the torture video in a lawsuit which he is conducting against Sheikh Issa in the United States. Some scenes were broadcast on American television last weekend. The images have caused a scandal in the US and in the United Arab Emirates.
Media Silence
According to Human Rights Watch the torture incident highlights why the UAE should revise its draft media law and, among other things, remove Article 32, which provides a fine of up to 5,000,000 dirhams (1 milion euros) against anyone who “disparages” senior government personnel or members of the royal family.
“The government’s failure to prosecute those involved in this incident of torture and abuse at the hands of a royal family member and the police is an appalling miscarriage of justice,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “What’s even more shocking is the government’s insistence that it investigated and found no violation of UAE laws.”
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