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BEIRUT (AP) — A Lebanese man detained in the United Arab Emirates on unknown charges has died in custody, rights observers and his family said Friday, raising questions about his possible mistreatment by authorities.
Ghazi Ezzedine, 55, died from torture, a committee of family members of Lebanese citizens detained in the UAE said in a statement, including the men who died earlier this month.
The UAE foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Ezzedine was arrested along with eight others, including his two brothers, on March 22, according to his family, according to Sima Watling, Amnesty International’s researcher focused on the Arab Gulf states. The charges are unknown.
Ezzedine died on May 4, she said. She added that it took several days for his family to be notified and authorities asked his son to come to the cemetery to identify the body. Ezzedine’s son could only see his father’s face while his body was covered.
Watling said UAE authorities had rejected the family’s request to take him back to Lebanon for burial. The two brothers who were detained with him were later released but were not allowed to leave the country.
A Lebanese official following the case told The Associated Press that Ezzeddin’s cause of death was unknown. Eight members of the same family were detained for unknown reasons, he said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of ongoing diplomatic contacts between Lebanon and the UAE over the death and repatriation of the bodies.
Afif Shouman, head of a group of Lebanese families whose relatives are detained in the Gulf state, said Ezzedine had lived in the UAE for 30 years “without a single traffic ticket”.
“No one suspects that he was involved in political affairs or even religious affairs,” he said.
In the past, UAE authorities have detained dozens of Lebanese, mostly Shia, over their alleged ties to the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Like other GCC members, the UAE considers Hezbollah a terrorist organization.
In 2019, the UAE sentenced a Lebanese national to life in prison and between two and 10 years in prison for having links to Hezbollah.
Amnesty International said in a statement at the time that the trials of the men “failed to meet international fair trial standards” because the evidence included “confessions obtained under duress, and the defendants were held in solitary confinement for months without access to lawyers.” Interrogation and investigation. “
Amnesty International is concerned about the lack of transparency in Ezzedine’s case and related detention, Watling said.
“If it is found that his death was indeed illegal, they must ensure that all those involved in the torture and unlawful killing, including those with command responsibility, are held accountable,” she said.
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