Rhys Davies is an international criminal law and international human rights law barrister at Temple Garden Chambers in London.
Matthew Hedges is a British academic who was detained for seven months in the UAE in 2018 on suspicion of spying on behalf of the British government. He was pardoned and released in November 2018. He is the author of Reinventing the Sheikhdom: Clan, Power and Patronage in Mohammed bin Zayed's UAE.
"With democracy on the ballot, we have to remember these first principles: Democracy means the rule of the people—not the rule of monarchs or the moneyed." That was President Joe Biden's appeal to American voters on the eve of midterm elections in the United States in 2022, a message he is carrying into his crucial re-election campaign and presumptive rematch with Donald Trump this fall.
Yet one of America's closest partners in the Middle East not only represents the very rule of monarchs and the moneyed, but is also actively trying to subvert democracy around the world, including in the United States. The United Arab Emirates has demonstrated a blatant disregard for the rule of law and individual rights, engaging in widespread spying and surveillance tactics against critics and dissidents both within and outside its borders. The Emirati regime has been accused of employing sophisticated cyber-surveillance tools to hack into the phones, email accounts and digital communications of activists, journalists and even foreign government officials.
This cyber espionage violates the privacy and rights of targeted individuals and poses a broader threat to the security and stability of democratic processes worldwide. The UAE's willingness to engage in such activities suggests a concerted effort to undermine the principles of free speech, dissent and accountability that are fundamental to democratic societies. Such repression is transnational, extending far beyond the UAE's borders through the use of covert operatives, mercenaries and exploitation of the mechanisms and institutions of international law enforcement.
For the U.S., as well as countries across Europe that pride themselves on upholding freedoms and the rule of law, the UAE's transnational repression strikes at the core of what makes open societies function.
- Rhys Davies and Matthew Hedges
The UAE's authoritarian agenda abroad reflects how tightly it controls politics at home, suppressing any form of opposition or dissent. Activists, journalists and ordinary Emiratis who dare to speak out against the regime face harsh penalties, including imprisonment, torture and other grave human rights violations. The UAE's repressive tactics are not limited to dissidents and activists, but to anyone perceived as a threat to its interests, including international businesspeople operating within the country's borders. Two cases exemplify the serious risks of doing business in the UAE and the Emirati authorities' disregard for due process and human rights, even for foreign nationals.
Ryan Cornelius, a British entrepreneur, and Zack Shahin, an American executive, have both been victims of separate cases of arbitrary detention. Cornelius was arrested back in 2008 on charges of fraud related to a property development project in Dubai. Despite the lack of evidence and the U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention declaring his detention arbitrary and calling for his immediate release, Cornelius remains imprisoned in the UAE under harsh conditions. As The Economist has put it, "Cornelius is just one of thousands of expats who are either imprisoned in Dubai after falling foul of the emirate's draconian legal system and the powerful people who manipulate it."
That includes Shahin, a former executive at a major property development company in Dubai, who was also detained in 2008 on allegations of embezzlement, even though none of the money he was accused of stealing could be tied directly to him. Shahin has endured prolonged imprisonment and severe mistreatment, despite numerous international calls for his release, including also from the U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.
This disregard for the rule of law, in turn, drives the UAE's transnational repression. While the Emirates projects an international image of prosperity and economic progress—the product of a deep-pocketed public relations campaign that relies on Western PR companies and lobbyists—it also fiercely counters criticism of its well-documented human rights abuses. It has done this not only through a carefully cultivated PR image, but by strategically placing Emirati officials in influential roles within international organizations, such as Interpol, to extend its influence, mitigate international scrutiny and protect its domestic and international interests. The ascension of Ahmed Nasser al-Raisi—an Emirati general accused of complicity in torture as a senior official in its Interior Ministry—to the presidency of Interpol, an organization designed to facilitate international police cooperation, is a prime example.
All these tactics by the UAE pose a significant threat to democratic values and human rights globally. For the U.S., as well as countries across Europe that pride themselves on upholding freedoms and the rule of law, the UAE's actions strike at the core of what makes open societies function. With economic and democratic interests deeply intertwined, Europe and America have a vested interest in addressing the UAE's transgressions and the broader notion of authoritarian regimes undermining international legal frameworks, as well as their own democratic norms.
While "democracy itself is on the ballot" in the U.S., one of Washington's key allies is trying to subvert American democracy and other democratic systems around the world.
- Rhys Davies and Matthew Hedges
The UAE's mission to spy on and repress dissidents globally is typified by operations like Project Raven—a clandestine program that hired former U.S. intelligence operatives to help Emirati authorities "engage in surveillance of other governments, militants and human rights activists critical of the monarchy," as Reuters reported in 2019. That included spying on Americans themselves.
Another tool in the UAE's spyware arsenal, known as Karma, allowed the regime to hack into iPhones of activists, diplomats and rival foreign leaders—"from the Emir of Qatar and a senior Turkish official to a Nobel Peace laureate human-rights activist in Yemen," according to Reuters. This malware gave the UAE free rein to secretly monitor communications, contacts and movement of its perceived enemies across the globe.
The UAE's political interference extends to democratic processes as well. As The Washington Post reported in 2022, citing the U.S. government's own intelligence assessments, the UAE has engaged in extensive influence operations in the U.S.—involving both legal and illegal activities—to steer U.S. foreign policy in its favor. While some of the activities exploited lax foreign-influence laws in the U.S. and focused on political lobbying and campaign contributors, "other activities closely resemble espionage." One American lawmaker described the intelligence report as revealing "how American democracy is being distorted by foreign money"—and how the UAE has dodged any accountability.
"A very clear red line needs to be established against the UAE playing in American politics," the lawmaker told The Washington Post. "I'm not convinced we've ever raised this with the Emiratis at a high level."
The UAE has also smeared and harassed organizations and individuals who speak out against its human rights abuses. Islamic Relief Worldwide, a major international charity based in the United Kingdom that regularly works alongside the United Nations, USAID and European governments, was the target of an orchestrated media campaign alleging it had ties to terrorism. The smear campaign was funded by the UAE, reportedly using a private intelligence firm in Geneva, after the UAE's Cabinet had listed Islamic Relief as a "designated terrorist organization"—accusations the aid group vigorously denied. This pattern of extraterritorial bullying shows the lengths the UAE will go to stifle any perceived threat to its interests.
The failure of democratic governments to respond decisively to these abuses only empowers regimes like the UAE, enabling the continuing erosion of fundamental rights that should be universally protected. The UAE's repressive conduct demands a coordinated international response to uphold principles that safeguard human dignity and preserve sovereignty for all nations, especially at a time of pivotal elections globally. While "democracy itself is on the ballot" in the U.S., one of Washington's key allies is trying to subvert American democracy and other democratic systems around the world.
