RIGHT TO PRIVACY FAILURE TO TACKLE CLIMATE CRISIS In July, UAE was revealed as one of 11 The UAE lobbied for a rollback of oil countries that were clients of NSO Group, a production cuts agreed between global oil company specializing in cyber surveillance. producers during the pandemic, aiming to Amnesty International, as part of the Pegasus recapture market share that it had lost due to Project carried out cutting-edge forensic tests reduced petroleum use in 2020. Such on mobile phones to identify traces of expansion of production runs contrary to the Pegasus spyware.1 It found that Pegasus had conclusion of UN-sponsored research that been used to compromise the phone of David countries need to steadily cut oil production Haigh, a UK national in contact with Sheikha to meet the goals set by the Paris Agreement Latifa, a daughter of Dubai’s ruler, who was on climate change, to which the UAE is a captured at sea by Indian and Emirati party. commandos when she tried to flee the UAE SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS in March 2018. In May, the UK High Court of Justice’s 2021 was the first year in which Article 356 Family Division found that the Emirati prime of the Penal Code did not criminalize minister had ordered NSO Group hacking of consensual sexual acts. However, vague the devices of his ex-wife and her two lawyers language criminalizing “scandalous act[s] in the UK. In September, the research offending modesty” remained under Article organization Citizen Lab confirmed that NSO 358. Unlike the previous year, there were no Group’s spyware was used against Emirati documented prosecutions of consensual dissident Alaa al-Siddiq, who died in a car sexual acts in 2021. crash in the UK in June. DEATH PENALTY RIGHT TO HEALTH Courts continued to issue new death The UAE offered an extensive roll-out of sentences, primarily against foreign nationals Covid-19 vaccines in 2021, available free of for violent crimes. New executions were charge to Emiratis and migrants with valid reported. Emirati IDs. However, until June, those with expired identity documents were ineligible, 1. Forensic Methodology Report: How to Catch NSO Group’s Pegasus denying migrants with expired visas and (Index: DOC 10/4487/2021), 18 July stateless people access to vaccines. In June, the government extended eligibility for free vaccination to everyone, including those with UNITED KINGDOM expired documents. DISCRIMINATION United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Head of state: Elizabeth II The estimated 20,000-100,000 stateless Head of government: Boris Johnson people born in the UAE but denied nationality continued to be deprived of equal access to The government promised an inquiry into its rights covered for Emirati citizens at state handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and expense, such as comprehensive healthcare, significantly cut a welfare benefit received housing and higher education, as well as jobs by 6 million people. The rights of refugees in the public sector. Stateless individuals only and migrants were routinely violated. A new became eligible for Covid-19 vaccinations in policing bill seriously endangered the rights June – six months after the beginning of the to freedom of peaceful assembly and non- campaign roll-out. discrimination. A bill on judicial review and a review of the Human Rights Act caused concern. Certain areas of Northern Ireland still lacked adequate access to abortion. Amnesty International Report 2021/22 386