Human Rights Watch says over 2,000 Afghan evacuees in detention in UAE

Human Rights Watch has accused Emirati authorities of arbitrarily detaining as many as 2,700 Afghan evacuees for more than 15 months in a camp in the UAE.

Many of the Afghans in Emirates Humanitarian City are suffering from depression and other psychological ailments, have no access to legal counsel, and have inadequate educational services for their children, a Human Rights Watch report (HRW) said.

“Living conditions have also deteriorated significantly, with detainees describing overcrowding, decay of infrastructure, and insect infestations,” the report said of the facility in Abu Dhabi.

A UAE official told Reuters the UAE continues to work with the United States and other international partners to resettle remaining evacuees in a timely manner as per the original agreement. The official did not comment on the accusation that the Afghans were being detained.

“We understand that there are frustrations and this has taken longer than intended to complete,” the official said.

The UAE official said the country is committed to ensuring Afghan evacuees live in safety, security and dignity, and said evacuees have received high-quality housing, sanitation, health, counseling, education and food services.

Human Rights Watch said it had received no responses to requests for comment from the UAE ministries of interior and foreign affairs.

The U.S. State Department office that handles the relocation of Afghans told the rights group in a letter that the U.S. commitment to resettling eligible Afghans – including those in Emirates Humanitarian City – is an “enduring one”, the report said.