Wife of Emirati dissident renews appeal over Syria disappearance

The wife of Emirati opposition figure Jasim al-Shamsi has renewed her appeal to Syrian authorities to disclose his whereabouts, more than three months after he was forcibly disappeared in Damascus, amid growing concern from rights groups over his fate.

Raghda Kiwan, al-Shamsi’s wife, said her family remains in a state of uncertainty and distress since his disappearance on 6 November, with no official information provided about his location, legal status, or health.

The Emirates Detainees Advocacy Centre said al-Shamsi’s isolation and denial of contact with his family constitute a serious violation of international law, calling for the immediate disclosure of his whereabouts, guarantees for his safety, and permission for him to communicate with his relatives.

In mid-December, Kiwan said the family received a brief phone call from al-Shamsi, the only contact since his disappearance, but that no further communication or visits have been allowed.

"The call was very brief. He reassured us in general terms, but we were not allowed any visit afterwards, and no further calls have taken place up to today," she told Arabi21.

She added that the family had been informally told a visit would be permitted, but that the promise had not been fulfilled.

Kiwan said the most painful aspect of the situation is the lack of information about any legal process involving her husband. "We do not know how far his file has progressed or what the next steps are," she said.

She added that while the brief call helped reassure their children, it did little to ease the broader uncertainty. "It did not change the reality of the ambiguity we are living in, and it does not meet the minimum of our right to know," she said.

Syrian authorities have not publicly acknowledged al-Shamsi’s detention, nor have they announced any charges or legal basis for his arrest. Rights organisations have described the case as an enforced disappearance, citing the failure to confirm his whereabouts or allow access to legal counsel or family members.

Al-Shamsi, a former assistant undersecretary at the UAE Ministry of Finance, is a long-time political dissident. In 2011, he was among 133 Emirati academics, judges and human rights figures who signed a petition calling for democratic reforms in the country. The petition was followed by a widespread crackdown, prompting al-Shamsi to leave the UAE.

In January 2013, he was tried in absentia as part of the UAE-94 case, the largest political trial in the country’s history, in which defendants were accused of establishing a secret organisation to overthrow the state. He was sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison.

In December 2023, Emirati authorities brought new counterterrorism charges against 84 prisoners of conscience, a move widely described by rights groups as retaliatory.

The list included many of those previously convicted in the UAE-94 case, including al-Shamsi, who was again tried in absentia and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Rights organisations have warned that al-Shamsi’s detention in Syria raises serious concerns about potential coordination with the UAE and the risk of extradition, which could expose him to further rights violations.

Advocacy groups have urged Syrian authorities to clarify his status, disclose his detention location, and ensure his protection in line with international law. They have also called on regional and international actors to intervene to prevent any unlawful transfer.

Despite repeated appeals from his family and rights organisations, al-Shamsi’s fate remains unknown, more than three months after his disappearance.