Mukhtiar Ahmed Khudabaksh, centre, the father of Moosa Mukhtiar Ahmed, and Sultan Ahmed Khudabaksh, the murdered boy's uncle, right, are comforted by Azhar Ali from the Pakistan consulate.
Mukhtiar Ahmed Khudabaksh, centre, the father of Moosa Mukhtiar Ahmed, and Sultan Ahmed Khudabaksh, the murdered boy's uncle, right, are comforted by Azhar Ali from the Pakistan consulate.
Mukhtiar Ahmed Khudabaksh, centre, the father of Moosa Mukhtiar Ahmed, and Sultan Ahmed Khudabaksh, the murdered boy's uncle, right, are comforted by Azhar Ali from the Pakistan consulate.
Mukhtiar Ahmed Khudabaksh, centre, the father of Moosa Mukhtiar Ahmed, and Sultan Ahmed Khudabaksh, the murdered boy's uncle, right, are comforted by Azhar Ali from the Pakistan consulate.

Call for more information on the death penalty


  • English
  • Arabic

In the past month, at least eight men have been sentenced to die in the UAE; one for the rape and murder of a four-year-old, two for killing a sales executive in an airport car park, and five for trafficking drugs. But as these eight men proceed through the justice system and the courts consider their appeals, a survey reveals an appetite in the UAE for more transparency about the death sentence, the ultimate sanction available to the courts and about which little is known.

The survey reveals some reservations about capital punishment. Although only six per cent of respondents think it is applied too readily, just 23 per cent believe it is applied only in the right circumstances. And 21 per cent think it is handed down more frequently to people from certain countries. More than twice as many Emiratis (34 per cent) as any other group believe that capital punishment is not used often enough, a view less common among Arab expatriates (14 per cent), westerners (12 per cent) and Asians (12 per cent).

However, twice as many westerners (12 per cent) as any other group think the death penalty is handed out too readily. Interestingly, 36 per cent of those surveyed could not make up their mind about capital punishment, an ambivalence expressed across all groups, headed by Arab expatriates and Asians (each 38 per cent), followed by westerners (28 per cent) and Emiratis (26 per cent). Transparency is a widely shared concern when it comes to the number of death sentences passed and executed in the UAE: overall, 76 per cent support open public access to the statistics; only 11 per cent think the public does not need to know and 12 per cent are not sure.

The demand for transparency is strongest among westerners (93 per cent), followed by Arab expatriates (83 per cent) and Asians (72 per cent). Only 64 per cent of Emiratis would like to see more openness, while 18 per cent oppose it. The death sentence, experts said, is a punishment mandated by Shariah law, but is rarely carried out in this country. No one in the UAE's justice system, law enforcement agencies or Government would comment officially, but more than a dozen interviews confirmed some basic facts about capital punishment in the UAE:

Death warrants must be signed by both the emirate's Ruler and the President of the UAE. A Ruler or the victim's family can pardon a killer. The official method of execution is firing squad, except in the case of adultery, in which case it is stoning. The last known execution took place in 2008, in Ras al Khaimah. After that, details are murky. Sources in Dubai Public Prosecution said 43 people had been sentenced to die since 1993. In Abu Dhabi, guards and former inmates of Al Wathba prison, which is estimated to hold more than 1,500 people, say that death row holds fewer than 70 inmates.

A suspect can be sentenced to death for seven crimes: murder, espionage, terrorism, drug trafficking, rape, converting from Islam and giving government secrets to enemy states. After the sentence is handed down, prisoners are appointed a lawyer to handle their appeal. In all emirates, the case must go through all levels of the judiciary. In Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Ras al Khaimah, that means the Court of First Instance, Appeals Court and the Court of Cassation. The other four emirates have only a first instance and appeals court.

In every case, the final judicial authority lies with the Federal Supreme Court in Abu Dhabi. If all levels of the judiciary sentence an offender to death, the Minister of Justice presents the case to the Ruler of the emirate where the case was adjudicated. Signatures from the Ruler of the emirate as well as the President of the country are required for any execution. "There are so many checks and balances to make it really the last resort," said an official from the Abu Dhabi Attorney General's office, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"Verdicts from court and implementation of these verdicts are two very different things," the official added. "The Constitution allows for the death sentence and judges hand down these sentences when necessary, but it is rarely enforced. Just because someone gets the death sentence doesn't mean he is going to be executed." The Minister of Interior declined to comment on the number of people awaiting execution in Abu Dhabi, in keeping with official practice.

Before an execution is carried out, several additional factors are taken into consideration. The Islamic penal code prohibits executions from being carried out on public or religious holidays. Pregnant women may not be executed until two years after giving birth. The condemned person's family may visit him on the day of the execution in a location separate from where he will be put to death. A religious representative can visit the condemned if he wishes it.

Executions are carried out at correctional facilities. Representatives from the Public Prosecutor's office, the correctional facility's warden, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Justice and a forensics doctor must be present. Members of the victim's family may attend the execution. As the moment of execution approaches, the warden recites the charges to the condemned person and reads the verdict aloud. If the person wishes to add any statements, the words are recorded by a public prosecutor.

The exact number of executioners is not known; guards, inmates and prosecutors offered varying accounts, from three riflemen to 10. But in all cases, only some of the executioners are given live ammunition. The rest have blank cartridges, so that no one rifleman will know for sure that he fired one of the fatal shots. The condemned are bound, blindfolded and, by some accounts, faced away from the firing squad. In some cases, the condemned can request not to wear a blindfold.

After the execution, the forensic doctor must confirm the death and enter a statement into the record. "The Quran does not specify an exact method of killing, except in the case of a married person who commits adultery, and that is stoning until death," one of the country's top advisers on legal affairs said on condition of anonymity. "The Quran does specify that a killer is to be killed in the same way he killed. Each country interprets this in its own way."

Egypt uses hanging. Saudi Arabia uses decapitation. Most other Muslim countries use variations of the firing squad, experts said. The adviser said the UAE "tries everything to avoid the death penalty". A pardon from a death penalty can come from a Ruler or, more often, through negotiations with the victim's family, which may choose to accept blood money, or diyaa. "Capital punishment is only carried out in the most severe cases of heinous crimes and, even then, we urge the families of the victim to show mercy, forgo the death penalty and accept blood money instead," said Ahmed al Khateri, the head of the Federal National Council's Legislative and Legal Affairs Committee, who also has been a judge in RAK for more than 17 years.

"There are so many conditions that have to be met before a death sentence can be issued that it rarely takes place," said Mr al Khateri, who as a judge oversaw only three cases that brought the death sentence. Despite the death penalty's rarity, it cannot be abolished, the legal adviser said. "First, it is embedded in the Islamic Shariah law. Abolishing it would be unreligious," the adviser said.

"Second, it is simply political. There are many cases where life in prison is simply not good enough. It is there to be used judiciously in extremely violent crimes. "Third, it is a social tactic. In tribal justice, a murderer must be murdered. If the state doesn't execute the murderer, the family of the victim will. If the state executes the murderer it will avoid a feud and a vicious cycle of vengeance."

It is for these three reasons that few Muslims publicly oppose capital punishment, he said. "Let us not forget that executions happen in many secular countries," the adviser said. "It is not specific to Islam. In fact, it happened long before Islamic law was written." newsdesk@thenational.ae

Honeymoonish
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Elie%20El%20Samaan%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENour%20Al%20Ghandour%2C%20Mahmoud%20Boushahri%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

In Full Flight: A Story of Africa and Atonement
John Heminway, Knopff

Dubai Rugby Sevens

November 30, December 1-2
International Vets
Christina Noble Children’s Foundation fixtures

Thursday, November 30:

10.20am, Pitch 3, v 100 World Legends Project
1.20pm, Pitch 4, v Malta Marauders

Friday, December 1:

9am, Pitch 4, v SBA Pirates

Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi

From: Dara

To: Team@

Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT

Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East

Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.

Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.

I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.

This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.

It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.

Uber on,

Dara

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The biog

Place of birth: Kalba

Family: Mother of eight children and has 10 grandchildren

Favourite traditional dish: Al Harees, a slow cooked porridge-like dish made from boiled cracked or coarsely ground wheat mixed with meat or chicken

Favourite book: My early life by Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, the Ruler of Sharjah

Favourite quote: By Sheikh Zayed, the UAE's Founding Father, “Those who have no past will have no present or future.”

Our legal consultant

Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

From Zero

Artist: Linkin Park

Label: Warner Records

Number of tracks: 11

Rating: 4/5

MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

The specs

Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel

Power: 579hp

Torque: 859Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh825,900

On sale: Now

Ramy%3A%20Season%203%2C%20Episode%201
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreators%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAri%20Katcher%2C%20Ryan%20Welch%2C%20Ramy%20Youssef%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERamy%20Youssef%2C%20Amr%20Waked%2C%20Mohammed%20Amer%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
WOMAN AND CHILD

Director: Saeed Roustaee

Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi

Rating: 4/5

The specs

Price, base / as tested Dh1,100,000 (est)

Engine 5.2-litre V10

Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch

Power 630bhp @ 8,000rpm

Torque 600Nm @ 6,500rpm

Fuel economy, combined 15.7L / 100km (est) 

Avatar%20(2009)
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJames%20Cameron%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESam%20Worthington%2C%20Zoe%20Saldana%2C%20Sigourney%20Weaver%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
What is the definition of an SME?

SMEs in the UAE are defined by the number of employees, annual turnover and sector. For example, a “small company” in the services industry has six to 50 employees with a turnover of more than Dh2 million up to Dh20m, while in the manufacturing industry the requirements are 10 to 100 employees with a turnover of more than Dh3m up to Dh50m, according to Dubai SME, an agency of the Department of Economic Development.

A “medium-sized company” can either have staff of 51 to 200 employees or 101 to 250 employees, and a turnover less than or equal to Dh200m or Dh250m, again depending on whether the business is in the trading, manufacturing or services sectors. 

 

 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to help

Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200