Advocacy & Aid

Name: Ahmed Mansoor
Occupation: Poet, blogger and human rights activist
Situation: Imprisoned
#AhmedMansoor
#DayoftheImprisonedWriter

Emirati poet, blogger and human rights defender Ahmed Mansoor has been imprisoned since 20 March 2017 for his peaceful expression. He is serving multiple prison terms totalling 25 years on national security charges that rely on vaguely worded anti-terrorism provisions and vaguely defined allegations. He was denied the right to a fair trial and has reportedly been held in an isolation ward in Al-Sadr prison in Abu Dhabi, in a cell with no bed, no drinking water and no access to a shower – in contravention of the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoner. These conditions – which amount to torture and ill-treatment – have significantly impacted his health. Prison authorities have repeatedly denied him access to family visits. PEN International considers his arrest and ongoing imprisonment, arbitrary and in retaliation for his defence of human rights and advocacy for political reform. It reiterates its calls for his immediate and unconditional release.

How you can help:

1. Write to the Emirati authorities

Asking to:

PEN International considers Ahmed Mansoor’s arrest and ongoing imprisonment arbitrary, and calls on the Emirati authorities to:

• Immediately and unconditionally release Ahmed Mansoor and quash all convictions against him.
• Pending his release, immediately move him out of solitary confinement and ensure the provision of adequate and appropriate medical care, with regular access to legal counsel and family visits.
• Allow UN experts and international NGOs access to visit him and investigate reports about his deteriorating health conditions.

Send your appeals to:

The UAE’s President: H. H. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mohamedbinzayed/ 
• X (Twitter): https://x.com/MohamedBinZayed
   

Please also send a message to:

The Embassy of the UAE in your country and your ambassador to the UAE
Majlis Mohamed bin Zayed
https://majlismohamedbinzayed.ae/en/contact-us/ 

You can use the following template for your appeals: 

Subject: End the unjust imprisonment of poet Ahmed Mansoor

I urge you to call on UAE President H. H. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to immediately and unconditionally release poet and human rights defender Ahmed Mansoor and quash all convictions against him. His conviction arose from grossly unfair trials, and his ongoing imprisonment is solely for peaceful expression and human rights activism. He should never have been in prison.

Pending his release, authorities must ensure that detention conditions meet international standards, that he is protected from torture and other ill-treatment, and that he has immediate and regular access to family, legal counsel and necessary healthcare.

Yours sincerely,

Please inform PEN International of any actions taken and any responses received.

2. Share the campaign on social media

Spread the word about Ahmed Mansoor’s case on social media. Use the sample messages below with the hashtags #AhmedMansoor and #DayoftheImprisonedWriter, tagging @peninternational.bsky.social and @penmena.bsky.social (Bluesky), @peninternational (Instagram), and facebook.com/peninternational and https://www.facebook.com/penintmena (Facebook).

More about Ahmed Mansoor

Ahmed Mansoor is an Emirati poet, blogger and human rights defender. Before his arrest, his literary analysis and poetry were published in many Emirati newspapers, and a collection of his poems, Beyond Failure, was published in 2010. A 2015 Martin Ennals Laureate, Mansoor served on the advisory boards of the Gulf Centre for Human Rights and Human Rights Watch. He was the last human rights defender openly working in the UAE. His imprisonment highlights the severe consequences faced by those who speak out against human rights violations, including arbitrary detention and lengthy prison sentences. Mansoor’s love of poetry led him to understand the importance of freedom of expression, and through his poetry and writing he has spoken out for free expression and human rights.

On 20 March 2017, security agents arrested Mansoor from his home, confiscated his laptop and other items, and took him to an undisclosed location where he was held incommunicado for several months. In May 2018, he was convicted in an unfair trial for “insulting the ‘status and prestige of the UAE and its symbols’ including its leaders” and for “seeking to damage the relationship of the UAE with its neighbours by publishing false reports and information on social media”. The State Security Chamber of the Supreme Court sentenced him to 10 years’ imprisonment, three years of surveillance and a fine of one million dirhams. The sentence was upheld on appeal.

In July 2024, Mansoor was further convicted in the UAE84 mass trial and sentenced to an additional 15 years in prison for allegedly supporting the Justice and Dignity Committee. He is serving prison terms totalling 25 years on vaguely worded national security charges following grossly unfair trials.

Mansoor has reportedly been kept in an isolation ward in Al-Sadr prison in Abu Dhabi, where he is held in “terrible conditions” in a cell with no bed, no water and no access to a shower. These sub-standard conditions have significantly impacted his health. The Emirati authorities have repeatedly denied him access to family visits. He reportedly went on two hunger strikes between March and September 2019 to protest his detention conditions.

In September 2025, the UN Secretary-General’s annual report on reprisals against those who cooperate with UN mechanisms cited Mansoor’s case. This was the eighth time the Secretary-General had denounced reprisals against him, having previously raised concerns in 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2024. 

Thank you for supporting Ahmed Mansoor. Please share his story on social media to urge others to call for his immediate and unconditional release and to highlight the conditions in which he is being held.

Note to Editors:

• For more information, please contact Mina Thabet, Head of the MENA Region, email: Mina.Thabet@pen-international.org
• For media interviews or queries, please contact Sabrina Tucci, Head of Communications and Campaigns of PEN International, Sabrina.Tucci@pen-international.org