“Those
who seek to bestow legitimacy must themselves embody it; those who
invoke international law must themselves submit to it.”
Jaweed Al Ghussein with the late ruler of Abu Dhabi HH Sheik Zayed Al Nahyan. Yasser Arafat and Sheik Abdullah Bin Zayed are in the background.
HI PEOPLE.WE HERE IN ABU DHABI HAVE DECIDED TO PLAY OUR OWN SET OF RULES BECAUSE WE CAN
WE ARE THE MIGHTY SHEIKS OF ABU DHABI AND WE HAVE LOADS OF DOSH, OIL, SEX AND THE CITY. WE ARE SO SO COOL AND REBEL AGAINST WESTERN INFLUENCE OF OLD FASHIONED IDEAS OF RULE OF LAW AND HUMAN RIGHTS. WHY BOTHER? WE GOT THE DOSH. WE GOT THE MONEY. WITH BOTH WE CAN BUY EVERYONE. HEH HEH HEH
House of Lords 10 of November 2009.
Abu Dhabi and the rule of Law
Abu Dhabi 'must establish rule of law'
Lord Soley writes for ePolitix.com ahead of his question in the House of Lords on the Abu Dhabi government.
Abu Dhabi is oil-rich and could be a beacon for a new Middle East. None of the countries in the region are models of democracy but, given the history of the area, this is not entirely surprising.
I take the view that the rule of law is essential to any modern state and a necessary precursor to full democracy. Several abuses of the law in Abu Dhabi give cause for concern.
The worst case is that of the brutal treatment handed out to an employee of Sheikh Essa, shown dramatically on YouTube. You will be shocked if you view this – it is appalling.
The
Al-Ghussein family is also a worrying example of the way the state has
used its power to destroy a businessman and his family.
Mr Al-Ghussein was a respected Palestinian businessman running one of the most successful companies in Abu Dhabi.
He
opposed the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq and earned himself the wrath of
Yasser Arafat, who enlisted the support of the Abu Dhabi government and
had him kidnapped and secreted out of the country to be held in Gaza.
He
was given category one status by the UN working party on arbitrary
detention. There has been a long-running attempt by the family to get
their property back.
Sadly Mr Al-Ghussein died a few years ago.
Attempts
to get the family's property restored in Abu Dhabi have all failed but,
as pressure grows, there is hope that the government will address the
issue.
Failure to do so will send a damaging message to other potential investors in the country.
More recently a British naturalised Sudanese business man's son vanished in Abu Dhabi and the Observer newspaper reports that Mr Elhaj believes that corrupt UAE officials handed his son over to kidnappers - similar to the way Mr Al-Ghussein was given up.
Abu
Dhabi could take the lead on the rule of law. They have enough national
wealth to establish a school of law in the territory.
In my
question I will seek to start a debate in the UK, EU and US where I am
in discussions with other legislators about this problem.
It needs a joint approach from everyone who would like to see Abu Dhabi establish the rule of law.
http://www.parliament.uk/lords/index.cfm
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/peer/lord_soley
‘I take the view that the rule of law is essential to any modern state and a necessary precursor to full democracy,’ states Lord Soley on ePolitix.com, a website that provides ‘free to access’ services and aims to promote improved communication between MPs and the public.
Lord Soley comments further on the responsibilities that Abu Dhabi holds as a country, ‘Abu Dhabi is oil-rich and could be a beacon for a new Middle East.’
Examples are given of horrific instances where employees of Sheik Essa, brother to Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince are beaten brutally.
The Al-Ghussein family is another prime example Lord Soley mentions in his article. Commenting on the treatment Mr. Al-Ghussein received, Lord Soley says: ‘He opposed the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq and earned himself the wrath of Yasser Aaraf, who enlisted the support of the Abu Dhabi government and had him kidnapped and secreted out of the country to be held in Gaza.’
According to Lord Soley’s report, the UN assigned Al-Ghussein’s capture category one status on the grounds of arbitrary detention. Unfortunately Mr. Al-Ghussein died one year ago and his family is still battling to keep their assets in Abu Dhabi, despite failing to restore their property. But Lord Soley reiterates the hope that the ‘growing pressure’ felt by the government may yield some positive progress.
Lord Soley summarises how he will attempt to bring Abu Dhabi’s
government to face up to the several examples of corruption and
brutality, ‘In my question I will seek to start a debate in the UK, EU
and US where I am in discussions with other legislators about this
problem…it needs a joint approach from everyone who would like to see
Abu Dhabi establish the rule of law.’
A single question in the House of Lords is not sufficient for a
territory with such resources and responsibility to change its modus
operandi. More needs to be done to bring change and accountability to
Abu Dhabi.
The Al-Ghussein Case & The Rule of Law
Monday 5 October 2009 at 09:49
Our work is confidential, behind-the-scenes, often working alongside legal counsel, although we are always clear where we have an interest, especially when we raise a matter on our blogs. We usually have an aversion to discussing or referring to our clients but today we are going to make an exception.
Some months ago, we were approached by the family of the late Jaweed Al-Ghussein, former Chairman of the Palestine National Fund and a moderate reformer well known and respected, some would say loved, by the British liberal establishment.
Jaweed's story shows just how vicious international affairs can be. I have to refer you here for the facts to the campaigning website Justice 4 Jaweed, created by Janis Hetherington, in which we have no involvement and which long predated our interest.
Justice 4 Jaweed was created in frustration at the length of time that had elapsed since a major human rights abuse was perpetrated on Jaweed without any sign of the 'mistake' (let alone the 'wrong') being recognised.
In essence, he was abducted twice for trumped-up reasons by the Palestinian authority with the co-operation and facilitation of the Abu Dhabi authorities. His assets were expropriated and he was bullied and denied adequate medical treatment for conditions from which he later died (July 2008).
The family assumed that these terrible deeds would be seen by the Abu Dhabi authorities just as a mistake (if only to 'save face'), that apologies would be forthcoming and that property would be restored. Years passed and informal promises alternated with intimidation and, above all, confusion.
The campaign began only after an initial commitment to show respect for the persons behind the 'mistake' merely demonstrated that such persons were no longer deserving of respect. They were either 'in denial' about what they had done or thought that they could get away with it with impunity.
In recent weeks, the situation has changed again. A strengthened team is now advising the family and it initially advised one last attempt at negotiation. Dialogue was encouraged in good faith and there was reason to believe that the matter might be taken off the chess board of international affairs.
This was not to be so and the team supporting the family of Al-Ghussein has become ever more determined that the abuses involved in this case should be exposed and should come to be regarded as a symbol of whether Abu Dhabi and the Palestinian Authority are fit partners for the liberal West.
There may be more news to come on As It Happens although Justice 4 Jaweed is still the public face of the campaign to expose what was done to Jaweed al-Ghussein.
On November 23rd, 2009, Stephen Desmond's independent film (again, nothing to do with us) on the life and work of Jaweed will be shown at the prestigious Frontline Club. This will be a marker event in its own right. But what we at TPPR know is this:
A wrong based on the use of arbitrary power and back-door factional deals has been done not only to the deceased but to his family. They deserve both an apology and the restitution of their assets. Indeed, they deserve compensation.
Those who perpetrated this crime and those who continue to attempt to cover it up are small and identifiable groups of interconnected persons who, in our opinion, are acting against the interests of the small nations for which they purport to speak.
A growing body of research suggests that these groups truly live in a political twilight zone. This case may now be best served by, eventually, bringing into the open the surprisingly small but increasingly wealthy complex of security, political and commercial interests that they represent.
Neither the Palestinian Authority nor Abu Dhabi should be assumed to be the simple villains of the story. Both appear to have allowed powerful individuals to dictate the course of this case against what we believe to be their natural national interests. They are being poorly advised.
Abu Dhabi, in particular, aspires to be an equal partner with the West in the maintenance of global order through its dominant role in the United Arab Emirates. Its massive funds are now critical to the survival of Dubai and to the eventual outcome of the Peace Process.
But if it believes that Europeans in particular and many ordinary Americans will now turn a blind eye to serious failures in the rule of law, even if there is a pragmatic acceptance that democratic reform is many decades away, then the authorities in Abu Dhabi are equally seriously deluded.
They may think that sheer weight of money talks. Tony Blair, a putative EU President, has been exposed as an adviser to the small country's Sovereign Wealth Fund by the Daily Mirror and a major financial PR campaign for Invest AD starts this Autumn. according to the trade Press.
But there have already been serious allegations about the use of arbitrary power against independent business interests by this small rich emirate and Europeans are generally not minded to find such behaviour acceptable, any more than they found acceptable extraordinary rendition by the US.
Abu Dhabi may think that the Al-Ghussein case is 'old news' and that the story will just 'go away'. It will not. Strength of feeling in London should not be underestimated, especially as many of those critical of Abu Dhabi's conduct are known and established friends of the Arab World who feel shamed by this case.
As for the Palestinian Authority, it is hard to kick a nation when it is down but it is time for it to take responsibility for its past actions and to draw a distinction between acts that might be justified by the laws of insurgent war and crimes perpetrated and perpetuated by factional struggles against its own.
Both Abu Dhabi and the PA need to understand that this is a test case in the rule of law and of political maturity. Leading figures can no longer behave like jumped-up oligarchs relying on weight of funds to buy their way into the West.
There may be more to say about the Authority and its conduct later, but let us, at this stage, just say that those involved in blocking this matter, despite the advice of the wisest of their own colleagues, need to start thinking now about the consequences of their state of denial.
No one is walking away from this case. Not now, not ever.
[Declaration of Interest: TPPR has had an interest as adviser since the Spring of 2009 to the al-Ghussein family]
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tagged Abu Dhabi, Human Rights, Janis Hetherington, Jaweed Al-Ghussein, Justice4Jaweed, Palestinian Authority, Stephen Desmond, TPPR in Muslim Lands
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