US-Backed UAE Torture: Why the Outrage Meter Stays Muted
📰 THE STORY: Al Jazeera provides a detailed, disturbing account from Ali Hassan Ali, a Yemeni man who spent over two years in a secret UAE-run prison, where he was allegedly stripped naked, subjected to sleep deprivation, and psychological torture. He seeks justice for his ordeal, highlighting the extensive network of clandestine detention centers operated by the UAE and its proxies in Yemen. 🔍
WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: The UAE's involvement in Yemen is part of the Saudi-led coalition, which began its devastating intervention in 2015. This intervention, armed and supported by the US, UK, and France, has deliberately targeted civilian infrastructure and caused one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. The US, for instance, sold over $50 billion in arms to Saudi
Arabia and the UAE between 2015 and 2020, while providing intelligence and logistical support. Double Standard: When reports of torture emerged from Syrian prisons, the headlines across Western media were stark, damning Bashar al-Assad's government unequivocally. Yet, similar, if not worse, abuses in UAE-run prisons – an ally of the US and a key player in the US-backed Saudi coalition – rarely
generate the same depth of sustained outrage or calls for sanctions from Washington. The complicity is conveniently ignored, much like the extensive torture during the US occupation of Iraq at Abu Ghraib, which was written off as 'a few bad apples' rather than systemic. Follow the Money: The UAE has spent millions lobbying in Washington D.C. According to OpenSecrets, the UAE spent over $35 million