ICFUAE.. Fictional human rights organization targets the UAE. Who is behind it?
Every now and then, a fictitious human rights organization without any tangible date, driven by its sponsors, appears to target the UAE, particularly its human rights side, without documented evidence, relying on false facts, trying to distort the rich history of the UAE, whose rulers are decorated with the world’s many humanitarian decorations, most recently ICFUAE.
ICFUAE attempted to target the UAE like Al Monasra Center, ALQST, Victims of Torture, and other dubious organizations, as shown by their collaboration and focus on one topic, Ahmed Mansour.
The UAE has been repeatedly targeted by these groups, through a defamation report signed by those funding organizations. They published a freedom claim for Ahmed Mansour from the UAE’s prisons since 2017, according to their claims, claiming that the case of Mansour received much attention from international human rights organizations on the fifth anniversary of his arrest in the prisons of the ruling regime in Abu Dhabi.
In their alleged report, the suspect organizations published several allegations about Ahmed Mansour and his detention in the United Arab Emirates, ignoring the facts of the real case documented by the UAE courts. The organization, funded by the so-called Emirates Prisoner Advocacy Center, has reached out to publish an imaginary video showing what Mansour could say if he was allowed to speak and send a message to the world, in a blatant step that reveals the extent of his desire to promote crises and provoke international public opinion.
ICFUAE also claimed that Mansour’s imprisonment is unjust, and called on everyone to call on the rulers of the UAE to release him, according to its claims, as its website is full of photos and fabricated news about him.
The website of ICFUAE shows that the so-called International Campaign for Freedom in the UAE was launched on April 17, 2015 to support political activism and democratic reform in the UAE, claiming that it symbolizes human dignity by addressing the core issue, making it an important part of its business strategy.
It has also claimed to be fighting for the respect of human rights, the release of all political prisoners, an end to the torture of these detainees, support for an independent judiciary, and support for progress towards an elected parliament and inclusive democratic reform, without any documented evidence of these blatant accusations or efforts by the fictitious organization, which has published many allegations on its website.
What is both controversial and ironic is that the leader of this suspicious organization, is not an Emirati or an Arab. It is also not a known person, and does not have a human rights history. This proves the funding and involvement of these fictitious entities to target Abu Dhabi, as Sofia Kaltenbrunner, the director of the Center for the Suspicious Campaign, does not have any information on the internet or social networking sites, and only publish statements and attacks that show hatred and hostility towards the UAE.
This was not the first time that these specific organizations had targeted the UAE, preceded by several attempts, including the decision to form the National Commission for Human Rights and Abu Dhabi’s candidacy for membership in the Human Rights Council, which dealt a strong blow to these organizations. They received 180 votes that enabled them to become members of the Human Rights Council for the period 2022-2024, for a third term, and to lead the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL).
A group of unknown and virtually unlicensed entities participated in these false calls, including the Center for Supporting UAE Detainees, ALQST Human Rights, Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain, Association of Victims of Torture – UAE – Democracy in the Arab World Now, Interpol International, European Center for Democracy and Human Rights, Fair Trials, International Campaign for Freedom in the UAE, including Human Rights, and Project for Democracy in the Middle East.
