Statement on Deportation of Law Violators in the UAE

Concerning media reporting on the deportation of select workers from African countries in the UAE, His Excellency Saeed Al Hebsi, Director of the Human Rights Department at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, has confirmed that these allegations are categorically false and a mere repetition of claims that were previously disproven.

In a statement, His Excellency Saeed Al Hebsi confirmed that the report published by Impact International for Human Rights Policies included repeated allegations that Impact International had previously published in 2021 that the UAE refuted. Al Hebsi noted that they were incorrect, as the measures that were taken in terms of the arrest and deportation of a limited number of workers were carried out as part of legal procedures and that all workers, without exception, are bound by documented legal labor contracts that preserve their rights. The concerned parties must abide by the terms of these contracts, and any termination of a contractual relationship with the worker must take place in accordance with the requirements set forth in contracts.

Al Hebsi affirmed that the UAE remains committed to full transparency in dealing with these issues and urges media to refer to official statements by the relevant UAE authorities in this regard.