UAE puts torture prince in shackles

Emirati authorities have reportedly arrested the Abu Dhabi Prince who was caught on camera while sadistically torturing an Afghan man.

The world reacted in horror to recently-exposed footage that showed Sheikh Issa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, son of the late UAE president and brother of the Abu Dhabi crown prince, ruthlessly torturing an Afghan grain dealer who had allegedly cheated in a business deal.

The victim was beaten with wooden planks with nails protruding from them, after which the prince poured salt on his bleeding wounds.

The video also shows the prince setting fire to the victim’s genitals, giving him electric shocks with a cattle prod, ramming desert sand into his mouth, and firing bullets around him with an automatic rifle.

The video caused uproar among human rights organizations and prompted Abu Dhabi prosecutors to detain Sheikh Issa on Tuesday to further investigate into the incident.

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• A d v e r t i s e m e n t

According to a statement by the UAE Judicial Department, “all documents, related to the recently broadcast video, depicting the ill-treatment of an individual have been referred to the Abu Dhabi Public Prosecution Office.”

If the case goes to trial, it would be the first time that a member of the ruling family in the United Arab Emirates faces criminal charges in a court of law.

Torture allegations against Sheikh Issa came to light a year ago when his former business associate, Bassam Nabulsi, sued the sheik for millions of dollars and submitted the video tapes to a US federal court in Houston.

In his suit, Nabulsi also charged Issa and other members of the ruling family with false imprisonment and with torturing him in an attempt to get the tapes back after Nabulsi’s business relations with Issa soured.

The UAE, the world’s third-largest oil exporter, has been grappling with its human rights image after facing severe criticism from humanitarian organizations.

More than 80 percent of the UAE population consists of foreigners, most of whom come from the Indian subcontinent.

A torrent of human rights reports have revealed that laborers are largely subjected to extreme conditions. Many are housed in shanty camps and are forced to work long hours in the scorching desert climate. Employers often retain their passports.