Imran Al-Harithi was born in 1983 in the city of Sharjah. He worked as a Sharia auditor at Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank before his arrest. He holds a BA in Sharia and a master’s degree in banking and finance.
Al-Harthi was well-known for his high proficiency in the field of Islamic banking, as he has developed an electronic Sharia audit program (ACSS). Also, he holds an Islamic Chartered Accountant certification (CIPA).
His apprehension and trial
On July 16, 2012, as a part in the UAE crackdown campaign against the “UAE 94”, Al-Harithi was arrested. This group included intellectuals, academics, activists and human rights defenders who signed the Third of March Petition that called for democracy. On the same date, the UAE security forces arrested him from his workplace. They took him handcuffed to his house and searched the house, and the car for more than five hours.
His wife, Asmaa Al-Sediq, stated that the police brought more than 12 persons to the house with her husband. All of them were handcuffed. They confiscated his personal laptop and other belongings along with some paper work.
Al-Harthi them remained subjected to enforced disappearance for more than 8 months in a secret prison, as no one, even his lawyer, was allowed to contact him.
On July 2, 2013, the State Security Court sentenced Al-Harithi to 7 years imprisonment after he was accused of affiliating with an illegal secret organization, which aims to oppose the foundations on which the state is based to seize the ruling with the help of foreign bodies.
Although Al-Harithi served his sentence on July 16, 2019, the UAE authorities are still holding him for about two years without legal basis. He was placed in the Munasaha Center in Al-Razeen Prison under the pretext that he poses a terrorist danger. Plus, he is denied his right to appeal.
The violations affected his family as well, as the UAE authorities revoked the nationality of his wife, deprived her of the right to social assistance for the family, and threatened her with arrest with fabricated charges against her if she continues to write on social media.
