UAE Islamist group Al-Islah called on Monday for the release of 41 activists it said were arrested for demanding reforms in the Gulf state, after authorities said they had broken up a security-threat cell.
"We urge the release of the detainees and an end to such measures and all security harassment against citizens," said a statement of the banned association, whose name means reform in Arabic.
It said that the arrests against "41 UAE citizens" leave a "bad impact on the reputation of the state," claiming that the detainees are "known for being patriotic."
The United Arab Emirates had earlier this month announced it had dismantled a group it said was plotting against state security, without identifying their affiliation or the number of arrests.
Among those arrested is prominent lawyer Mohammed al-Roken, who has defended activists in the past.
International media watchdog Reporters Without Borders has urged the UAE authorities to release the activists, who include bloggers.
Dubai police chief General Dahi Khalfan last week accused the Muslim Brotherhood, which is the emerging force in the Arab world after the Arab Spring uprisings, of plotting against Gulf monarchies, claiming that the detainees were linked to the group.
Al-Islah condemned "false accusations of challenging the constitution and working to topple the regime," stressing that its members recognise the religious duty of "obeying the rulers."
It said it has always stressed its "belief in the union and worked to protect it."
The UAE, a federation of seven emirates led by oil-rich Abu Dhabi, has not seen the kind of pro-reform protests that have swept other Arab countries, including Gulf neighbours Bahrain and Oman, since last year.
But the government has increased its clampdown on voices of dissent and calls for democratic reforms.
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