United Arab Emirates (UAE) Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, son of the late UAE President Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and brother of the current president of UAE the Emir Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, was acquitted on Sunday, January 10 of charges connected to the torture of an Afghan grain dealer and videotaped beating.
The three-hour long video recorded in 2004 in the desert outside Abu Dhabi, which is a strong evidence against Sheikh Issa, does not put him behind bars thus, it became an instrument to sentence two Lebanese-American brothers Bassam and Ghassan Nabulsi to five years. They were fined and ordered to pay 10,000 dirhams (US$2,723) for recording and publishing the video and drugging and blackmailing Sheikh Issa.
The court accepted the defense that Sheikh Issa was under the influence of drugs that made him unaware of his actions. The jury’s decision regarding this case embarrassed the Gulf Arab emirate and raised questions over human rights. An international rights watchdog group called Human Rights Watch criticized UAE’s judicial system. They said that it is unfair and even though Sheikh Issa is under the influence of drugs it is not a basis to acquit him in this trial case.
Sheikh Issa is very happy to the judges’ decision. He kissed his lawyer’s forehead but he didn’t say any comment to the reporters.
The official reasoning behind the verdicts would be published at a later date.
Topics: Bassam Nabulsi, Ghassan Nabulsi, murder, news, Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, UAE, UAE Sheikh
