Hasan al-Jaidah holds a photograph of his father, detained Qatari doctor Mahmoud al-Jaidah, at the family's home in Doha, Qatar (Photo: AP)
A UAE court Monday handed a Qatari and two Emiratis jail terms of between five and seven years for raising funds for a Muslim Brotherhood-linked group, state news agency WAM said.
Dozens of Islamists have been jailed in recent months in the United Arab Emirates as concern grows over the Muslim Brotherhood following the group's role in the Arab Spring uprisings.
The Federal Supreme Court in Abu Dhabi sentenced Mahmud al-Jidah, a Qatari, to seven years in prison followed by deportation, WAM said.
Abdul Wahid al-Badi and Saeed al-Buraimi, both Emiratis, were jailed for five years each. A third Emirati, Taher al-Tamimi, was acquitted.
Amnesty International has called the trial a "farce" that "makes a mockery of the UAE's claim to be a progressive country that respects human rights."
The Gulf News daily said the three were accused of "aiding and abetting Al-Islah (reform)," identified by authorities as the local branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, and "collecting funds to support it".
On 21 January, the same court, whose rulings are final, jailed 10 Emiratis and 20 Egyptians for periods ranging from three months to five years for forming a Muslim Brotherhood cell.
UN expert Gabriela Knaul this month criticised "violations" and a "lack of transparency" in court proceedings in the UAE and urged an independent probe into allegations of torture in prisons.
London-based rights watchdog Amnesty urged UAE authorities to "immediately quash the conviction" against Jidah, saying the trial had been "grossly unfair".
Jidah "was arrested without a warrant, blindfolded and flung into solitary confinement before being repeatedly tortured, ill-treated and forced to sign papers he wasn't allowed to read," said Amnesty's Said Boumedouha.
The UAE has not seen the widespread protests that have swept other Arab states since 2011.
But authorities have cracked down hard on dissent and calls for democratic reform, drawing criticism from human rights groups.
Short link: