Pressing concerns over UAE newspaper closure

Gulf state faces questions after ‘unleashing firestorm’ at paper that embarrassed region and was shut down

‘It was terrifying, I was not used to a system where cases are taken personally against a journalist’ ‘You cannot buy people’s freedom, but with enough money you can strip it away’

In retrospect, say many journalists at

Al Roeya, the beginning of the end came on a single day – June 2 2022. That was the day when an apparently anodyne story published by the United Arab Emirates-based newspaper began to spread like wildfire on social media.

In democracies, of course, most journalists are thrilled if a piece of reporting “goes viral”, echoing the concerns of readers and perhaps even causing a political ripple or two.

But in the UAE, where state censorship and press control is rife, upsetting the powers that be can be a very bad idea indeed.

Within hours the article, which merely noted that some Emiratis were fed up with expensive fuel, and pointed out that some were crossing into Oman to fill up their tanks more cheaply, had been deleted from the newspaper’s website. It never made it into print.

But that was only the beginning. A few days later, according to those familiar with the events who were interviewed by the Associated Press (AP), a full inquiry was under way into how a story perceived to have embarrassed the ruling regime could have been commissioned.

Indeed the story, which touched on the withdrawal of state fuel subsidies, was apparently sensitive enough to unleash what has been described as “a firestorm” at the paper.

Several staff connected with the piece, including senior editors, were summoned to answer questions. A lawyer was present as they were asked to detail every stage – including naming those responsible – of how the story was commissioned, edited and published.

Those conducting the interrogations, according to AP, included representatives of International Media Investments (IMI) – Abu Dhabi’s state-backed media investment vehicle owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the billionaire brother of the UAE’S president.

IMI, in partnership with Redbird, a US private equity firm, is the prospective owner of The Telegraph.

Back in Al Roeya’s office in Dubai in 2022, the fuel price inquiry did not end with a ticking off. Rather, journalists connected with the story were suspended, AP reports, before being given the choice of either volunteering to resign with benefits or being sacked.

But even that was not the end of the matter. A week later, IMI’S chief executive returned to Al Roeya’s office for an “all hands” meeting.

There he announced that Al Roeya

– which translates as The Vision – was being dissolved ahead of the launch of an Arabic-language business venture with CNN, known as CNN Business Arabic. At least 35 journalists were fired that day, notes AP, with dozens more sacked later. Furthermore, according to The Wall

Street Journal, one of those involved in the launch of CNN Business Arabic was Jeff Zucker, then a CNN executive.

Today, as head of Redbird IMI, Mr Zucker is leading the attempt to take ownership of The Telegraph. He has said there is no threat to the newspaper’s editorial independence from its potential new owners.

IMI insist the dissolution of the newspaper was long planned, was nothing to do with the fuel story, or the paper’s “editorial output,” and that all redundancies were conducted in a proper manner in accordance with HR protocol.

But news outlets in the UAE are well aware that challenging the party line can have significant consequences.

In 2017, a business magazine was temporarily banned from publishing after it carried a story about failed real estate projects in Dubai. Critics of the UAE government have told The

Telegraph they are deeply concerned by the prospect of the sale of this newspaper to Redbird IMI.

Joey Shea, UAE researcher at Human Rights Watch (HRW), said its crackdown on the press and freedom of expression has had a “chilling impact on the few international media that are able to operate in the country.” On the potential sale of The

Telegraph, she said HRW was “deeply concerned about the potential impacts that that would have on a newspaper that is so prominent in the UK.”

The UAE uses sophisticated surveillance technology to monitor internet activity, phones and computers, violating rights to privacy. In 2021 its rulers amended its penal code and cyber crime laws to increase the state’s control over the media.

Article 174 stipulates a minimum prison sentence of five years and a 100,000 dirham fine (£21,400) if an act of dissent takes place in “writing, speech, drawing or by statement or using any means of technology or through the media.”

“Online censorship is rampant, and the online media environment lacks diversity.

“Government surveillance of online activists and journalists is pervasive and has forced internet users to extensively self-censor,” notes Freedom House, a Washington-based advocacy group, in a recent report. A 2022 report by Amnesty International found that Emirati leaders censor media content deemed to be “immoral” and that at least 26 Emirati prisoners are in jail “because of their peaceful political criticism.”

One journalist who has been arrested in the UAE told The Telegraph details about their case, which was filed under Sharia law.

The story was written with no way of identifying the subject, who despite this filed a complaint for “insult” – a crime under Islamic law. The article made no mention of the subject’s age, gender, name or other details.

Nonetheless, a criminal file was opened, with the case taken to the top levels of the country’s legal system before it was dismissed some time later. The journalist at one point had their passport confiscated.

“It was the most terrifying time,” they said. “Everything was conducted in Arabic and I had no idea what was happening. I was not used to a legal system in which cases are taken personally against a journalist rather than a newspaper, so it was a complete shock.”

They added: “I couldn’t travel... but I was lucky I wasn’t one of those who have been imprisoned.”

Another human rights activist and government critic targeted by the Gulf state is Ahmed Mansoor, an engineer and poet who was arrested under the UAE’S cyber crime law in 2017.

The following year the father-offour was sentenced to 10 years in prison for “insulting the status and prestige of the UAE and its symbols including its leader”.

Further charges were brought against Mr Mansoor last month, while Dubai was hosting the international climate change conference Cop28, as part of a mass trial against 84 people.

Among those dealt fresh charges was Hamad Al Shamsi, a human rights activist who was part of a group put on trial in 2013 for signing a petition calling for democratic reforms.

Mr Al Shamsi, who was not in the country when he was charged, was sentenced to 15 years in prison in absentia and has been living in exile in Turkey for more than a decade.

He told The Telegraph he was “really worried” about the safety of his peers and had “many concerns” about the potential sale of this newspaper.

“The UAE government has a lot of money and they use that money to buy magazines, buy newspapers, buy football clubs, and they are using all these tools for their PR campaigns.”

He added: “You cannot buy people’s freedom, but with enough money you can strip it away.”

Radha Stirling, the head of the Uk-based legal aid group Detained in Dubai, also expressed concerns. “There is no indication whatsoever that press freedom is an issue on the agenda of the UAE’S government.

If anything, press freedom has been even further limited over the past five to 10 years,” she said.

“It’s appalling that a country who would jail individuals for their opinions even has the legal opportunity to own a media outlet in the UK. This is a dangerous and slippery slope and should not be allowed to go ahead.”

She added: “The UAE and other authoritarian nations have increasingly sought to infiltrate [the British] government, utilities, education and media outlets, which is ultimately a risk to British citizens and our security.”

As for Al Roeya, it printed its final issue on June 21 2022 – less than three weeks after its initial story charting the discontent of local drivers.