A UAE national, Ali Abdullah Fateh Ali Al-Khaja, who spent over a decade in prison due to his political affiliations, has died in custody, according to the Emirates Detainees Advocacy Centre. The centre reported that Khaja, a long-term detainee, passed away in his cell at Al-Razeen Prison on Wednesday, leaving behind a family that had awaited his release for more than 13 years. Born in 1966, Khaja faced persistent ‘security harassment’ in the UAE for his social activities and association with Al-Islah, an Islamist political group linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, which is banned in the country. The UAE’s ruling Al Nahyan family perceives the Muslim Brotherhood as a threat and has aggressively suppressed its supporters for decades. Khaja was arrested in August 2012 at his home and subjected to enforced disappearance until his court appearance. During his detention, he endured solitary confinement, intimidation, and other forms of torture. In 2013, he was charged alongside 56 others with affiliation to a ‘secret illegal organization’ and sentenced to 10 years in prison, followed by three years of probation. Despite being scheduled for release in August 2022, Emirati authorities detained him further and initiated another trial in 2024. Khaja was part of the ‘UAE 94,’ a group of 94 activists prosecuted in 2013 for allegedly conspiring to overthrow the government during the Arab Spring. The trial, widely criticized by human rights groups as unfair, targeted lawyers, professors, activists, and students advocating for democratic reforms. Many detainees, including Khaja, were affiliated with Al-Islah, a non-violent political reform party. However, the UAE extended sentences for several high-profile dissidents under its 2014 anti-terror law, continuing its crackdown on political dissent.