'Free the UAE5'

Comedians have backed Amnesty International’s Edinburgh Festival campaign to help free five men held in the United Arab Emirates for ‘insulting officials’

Ed Byrne said: ‘If you can get locked up in the UAE for insulting officials, I hope no Emirati police ever come to Edinburgh or they’ll end up jailing half of the festival.’

The campaign group highlights a global free speech issue every year at the Edinburgh Fringe, and this year have focused on the five men who have been detained since April after calling for democracy and criticising the government.

Mark Watson added: ‘Poking fun at officials and questioning the authorities is a stock-in-trade for all comedians. We’ve got to stand up for people’s right to peacefully express their opinions. I hope this campaign puts some pressure on the UAE authorities to let these guys go.’

Amnesty is asking people at the festival to text the word ‘Freedom’ followed by their name to 81222 to join a petition calling for the release of the UAE5, which will be presented to the UAE embassy in London before their trial, set for the end of September.

The five men are blogger and political commentator Ahmed Mansoor, lecturer Nasser bin Ghaith and online activists Fahad Salim Dalk, Ahmed Abdul Khaleq and Hassan Ali al-Khamis

Amnesty International Scotland Director John Watson said: ‘The UAE 5 should be released immediately and unconditionally. Their case is typical of the thousands of people in other countries across the Middle East and North Africa – from Egypt to Syria, Libya to Bahrain – whose right to freedom of expression has been denied.

‘The UAE 5 were arrested for alleged statements made long before the calls for change in the Arab world surfaced. Their arrests came after they called for more democracy and posed questions about how their country is run.’

Watson and Byrne are among those taking part in Amnesty’s annual Stand Up For Freedom comedy show, taking place on August 17.

Published: 8 Aug 2011