proceedings against them.67 This group individuals, known as the “UAE94” were widely recognised as prisoners of conscience.68 In an Opinion issued in 2014, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UN WGAD) found the detention of the “UAE94” to be arbitrary and called for their immediate release.69 Members of the UAE94, distinct from the UAE7, faced the revocation of their citizenship at a later stage. This was notably the case of Abdulsalam al-Marzooqi70 whose identity documents stopped being renewed starting 2015, while incarcerated. This action served as an additional form of reprisal for his activism and his support to the 2011 petition advocating for political reform. This violates the UAE’s international obligations as it is a widely disproportionate measure. Al-Marzooqi never received any official decree confirming a revocation of his citizenship. However, in 2016, it was rumoured that thirty UAE94 members and their families got their citizenship revoked. Al-Marzooqi’s family was one of them and the revocation of the citizenship of his children was confirmed at a later stage. Determining the exact number of UAE94 members who had their citizenship revoked is very challenging, given the reluctance of individuals to speak out due to fear of reprisals, particularly if they still reside in the UAE. However, from the testimonies gathered, it is estimated that a relatively high number of other UAE94 detainees suffered the same fate. As stated above, the UAE authorities did not stop the revocation of citizenship to members of the UAE94 but extended this revocation to some of their family members as well. In March 2016, three of the children of Mohammed al-Siddiq, Asma aged 29, Duaa aged 25 and Omar aged 23, who were known for their online activism,71 were summoned to the Migration Department of Sharjah.72 They were told to bring all their official documents and were assured that “no harm” would come if they attended. Once they arrived with their documents, the officer told them that their citizenship had been revoked by a decree, and that they should look for a new nationality.73 When they requested a copy of the decree, it was refused by the officer. The reason for their citizenship revocation was not disclosed, but they were informed by the officer that MENA Rights Group, The UAE State Security Apparatus: A tool of repression against dissenting voices, December 2022, https://www.menarights.org/sites/default/files/202212/Mena%20Rights%20Group_SSA%20Public%20Report.pdf, (accessed on 10 June 2024). 68 Human Rights Watch, United Arab Emirates: End Arrests; Free Political Activists: Stop Crackdown on Freedom of Expression, Association, 30 April 2012, https://www.hrw.org/news/2012/04/30/unitedarab-emirates-end-arrests-free-political-activists (accessed on 2 May 2024). 69 UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, Opinion No. 60/2013 concerning 61 individuals, 2 April 2014, UN Doc. A/HRC/WGAD/2013/60, para. 26, https://ap.ohchr.org/documents/dpage_e.aspx?si=A/HRC/WGAD/2013/60 (accessed on 2 May 2024). 70 MENA Rights Group, Abdulsalam Mohamed Darwish al-Marzooqi, https://menarights.org/en/caseprofile/uae94-detainee-abdulsalam-al-marzooqi-held-arbitrarily-2012, (accessed on 2 May 2024). 71 International Centre for Justice and Human Rights, Universal Periodic Review – United Arab Emirates, June 2017, p.7, https://upr.info/sites/default/files/documents/2018-02/icjhr_upr29_are_e_main.pdf, (accessed on 20 May 2024). 72 Rori Donaghy, “UAE strips citizenship from family of political prisoner”, Middle East Eye, 10 March 2016, https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/uae-strips-citizenship-family-political-prisoner (accessed on 2 May 2024). 73 Ibid. 67 16 Citizenship stripping in the UAE