Prominent UK human rights lawyer Robert Dixon has been appointed as legal counsel by the family of detained Turkish-Egyptian poet and activist Abdulrahman al-Qaradawi, his firm announced on Wednesday.
In a statement, Temple Garden Chambers confirmed that Rodney Dixon is set to represent Qaradawi, whose whereabouts in the United Arab Emirates remain unknown after he was handed over by Lebanese authorities to the Gulf nation after he stopped in Lebanon while returning from a visit to Damascus.
Qaradawi is the son of the late influential Islamic scholar Yusuf al-Qaradawi.
Dixon has been involved in numerous high-profile cases and has represented figures such as Hatice Cengiz, the widow of assassinated Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and Princess Latifa bint Mohammed Al Maktoum, the daughter of UAE Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
Other well-known lawyers who also serve as King's Counsel at Temple Garden Chambers include International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor Karim Khan and former Attorney General of England and Wales Dominic Grieve.
Al-Qaradawi was arrested in Lebanon last December after filming himself at the Umayyad Mosque in the Syrian capital, while criticising the Saudi, Emirati, and Egyptian governments.
His family has repeatedly called for his release and have urged Emirati officials to provide new information regarding his well-being. The UAE has refused to disclose this however.
The UAE stated in early January that authorities had taken the poet into custody on charges of "engaging in activities that aim to undermine public security," even though he was not a citizen or resident of the UAE.
In February, Qaradawi’s family revealed they received a one-minute phone call from him, marking their first contact since his extradition.
However there have been no further updates since.
On Wednesday, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) released a statement, stating that a group of independent human rights experts had expressed concerns over the "lack of information" on al-Qaradawi.
"Our worst fears that Mr. Al-Qaradawi would face grave human rights violations if he was extradited to the UAE, appear to have been justified," the experts said, after previously calling on Lebanon to not extradite the activist to Egypt or the UAE in order to prevent enforced disappearance and torture.
"Exercising the right to freedom of expression, including political comment or criticism is not a crime," they added.
"Conflating political criticism with threats to State security or terrorism constitutes an assault on freedom of expression, with worrying consequences for human rights defenders and political activists."
The experts decried the fact that al-Qaradawi has had no contact with his family, while also being denied access to legal counsel, emphasising that this is his "fundemental right".
"To date, we are not aware of any formal legal charges brought against him by the UAE authorities," the experts emphasised.
There are also serious concerns that an extradition agreement between the UAE and Egypt could lead to Al-Qaradawi being further transferred from the UAE to Egypt.
An Egyptian court has sentenced him in absentia to two three-year prison terms on charges of "spreading false information" and "insulting the judiciary".
The independent experts called for al-Qaradawi to be be granted consular visits from Turkish authorities and be permitted to return to Turkey, where he holds citizenship and "where he can be guaranteed safety and legal protection."
Al-Qaradawi, 55, had been a prominent dissident in Egypt, having been a strong advocate of the 2011 Egyptian revolution that brought an end to former President Hosni Mubarak’s decades-long rule.
His sister, Ola, has been arbitrarily detained in Egypt for four years on what are widely regarded as unfounded terrorism-related charges.
His father, Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who passed away in Qatar in 2022, was one of the most prolific and widely published Islamic scholars, and a household name throughout the Arab world.
Human rights groups have consistently called for al-Qaradawi's release, urging the UAE to commit to due process and fair trial guarantees, as well as to comply with international human rights standards.
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