their passport by post to obtain a new one, but their passport was confiscated, and they never received a replacement. Among the “UAE94” members in exile who are unable to renew their passport is notably Ahmed al-Nuaimi, the former Director of the education department of al-Islah.79 He was convicted in absentia to 15 years imprisonment in 2013, following a trial that was qualified as unfair by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.80 He is currently tried in absentia in the new “UAE87” trial as an additional form of reprisal for exercising his right to freedom of expression and of association. During the 2012 wave of arrests, al-Nuaimi was on a business trip abroad. Aware that returning to the UAE would lead to his arrest, he chose to remain overseas. Ever since, he has been unable to renew any of his identity documents, his bank accounts have been frozen, and he has been barred from carrying out any administrative tasks in the UAE. This has even extended to other activities, such as selling his car or house from abroad, as it necessitates valid IDs. Despite the various measures imposed by the government, the authorities have consistently ignored his requests for information or to have his situation regularized. The Emirati authorities are thus acting in a completely arbitrary manner, outside any legal framework, rendering al-Nuaimi at risk of statelessness as he is unable to exercise the rights associated with his citizenship. Consequently, the UAE is violating its international obligations, including those under the UDHR and the ACHR. Furthermore, as an additional measure to punish al-Nuaimi for his peaceful activism, his family members have faced the same restrictions regarding the denial of ID renewals. Since 2012, his wife and children have been unable to renew any of their documents and were subjected to a travel ban for several months before they managed to join him in the UK. His brothers and sisters have also experienced the same issues, being prevented from renewing their IDs, leading to significant hardships in administrative matters, insurance, university admissions, job searches, and more. This effectively puts them at risk of statelessness, as they are prevented from enjoying a full range of rights. This is yet another step from the authorities to stifle dissent, aimed at silencing individuals and deterring others from engaging in peaceful activism. Moreover, even valid passports, such as that of al-Nuaimi’s mother, have been rendered useless for travel. Despite having a renewed passport, she is consistently prevented from leaving the country whenever she attempts to travel. This arbitrary travel ban, imposed without any legal basis, prevents her from visiting her family abroad and further underscores the authorities’ oppressive tactics, as well as its violations of international law. Hamad al-Shamsi81 is another “UAE94” member in exile who cannot renew any of his identity documents. He was also convicted in absentia to 15 years imprisonment in 2013 and is currently tried in absentia in the new “UAE87” trial for his involvement with MENA Rights Group, Ahmed al-Shaiba al-Nuaimi, https://menarights.org/en/case/ahmed-al-shaibaal-nuaimi, (accessed on 5 June 2024). 80 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 5 June 2024). 81 MENA Rights Group, Hamad al-Shamsi, https://menarights.org/en/case/hamad-al-shamsi (accessed by 8 May 2024). 79 20 Citizenship stripping in the UAE