One year on, Abdel Rahman al-Qaradawi remains in solitary confinement in the UAE

Seventeen human rights organisations have urged the United Arab Emirates to disclose the location of detained Egyptian poet and opposition figure Abdel Rahman al-Qaradawi, one year after he was arrested in Lebanon and forcibly transferred to Abu Dhabi.

Qaradawi, who also holds Turkish citizenship, was detained at Beirut airport on 28 December 2024 while returning from a visit to Syria.

Lebanese authorities handed him to the UAE around ten days later without legal guarantees, despite warnings from lawyers and family that he risked serious violations if extradited.

Rights advocates say the handover occurred "despite the absence of any credible legal basis or assurances".

Since his transfer, his family and lawyers have had almost no contact with him. Only two brief family visits were permitted in March and August 2025, each lasting less than ten minutes, in an undisclosed location that provided no clarity on his legal status or place of detention.

According to relatives, Qaradawi is being held in harsh conditions, including prolonged solitary confinement, restrictions on communication, bans on personal belongings and photographs of his children, and tight limits on visits. They say his mental health has deteriorated severely.

In a joint statement, the 17 organisations said the UAE has provided no official information about his whereabouts or legal status since the day of his transfer, amounting to an "ongoing enforced disappearance". They urged authorities to "immediately reveal his location, allow independent legal access, and end arbitrary detention".

Calls for accountability in Lebanon and Turkey

The groups also criticised Lebanese authorities for ignoring the risks he faced and demanded an investigation into the circumstances of his arrest and transfer. They argue the decision to hand him over "despite the absence of any real guarantees" requires scrutiny.

Turkey has been urged to intensify diplomatic and consular efforts to protect his rights and secure information about his case.

Independent United Nations experts have also raised concern, saying the lack of information about his fate and whereabouts was alarming.

They warned that Qaradawi could face serious human rights violations if transferred onward to Egypt, adding that the accusations that led to his extradition appear "unsubstantiated".

'Transnational repression'

Activists say the case reflects a growing pattern of transnational repression, in which governments cooperate to target dissidents beyond their borders. They argue the detention of a poet and writer over his views raises serious concerns about the criminalisation of expression.

Before his arrest, Qaradawi posted a video from Damascus's Umayyad Mosque criticising Arab governments, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, accusing them of leading "conspiracies against the region". Rights advocates say this video is widely believed to be a key factor in his targeting.

Qaradawi rose to prominence in the 2000s for poetry criticising former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak. He helped found several opposition movements, including Kifaya, the National Association for Change, and campaigns opposing hereditary succession under Mubarak.

He played an active organising role during the January 2011 uprising before later being banned from journalism and broadcast work for opposing President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.