Sunday, January 10, 2010

The state of mental health in the UAE

Breaking news: Good old Sheikh Issa, who had previously admitted that he had been filmed beating, raping and horrifically torturing a grain dealer in 2004, was found not guilty by the court today, after his defense of being under the influence of drugs was - surprise surprise - accepted by the judge.

Photo: Scene from the video nasty of Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al Nahyan torturing someone in 2004. He was only doing this due to the influence of drugs, obviously.

'Beyond reasonable doubt' is clearly a philosophy that does not apply to UAE trials, especially when you happen to be the brother of the ruler of the UAE and a son of Sheikh Zayed, the UAE's founding father.

...
A forensic medicine expert told the court in the previous hearing the medication Sheikh Issa was on “can cause anger, suicide, violence, depression and loss of memory”.


Funny how 'torturing the hell out of someone' was not actually one of the reported side effects...


Meanwhile, in totally unrelated news today, the Emirati man who had admitted raping and murdering a 4 year old boy in a mosque was declared sane by the expert Psychiatric Evaluation Board appointed by the courts. His valiant lawyer had entered the request as pretty much the only way to get his client off the death penalty, seeing as he'd already confessed several times, including in court.

In summary:
1/ Psychopathic homocidal paedophile who in the process of the horrible crime defiles a holy mosque in a crazed opportunistic frenzy, (a place where you're almost certain to get caught too) AND who confesses the crime despite there being a death penalty - sane.

2/ Commit Psychopathically Premeditated torture, get filmed in the act of anal rape (with a cattle prod) and committing grievous bodily harm, aided and abbetted by others (presumably not on psychotropic drugs), in revenge for being short changed on some grain while apparently on some medication that could, possibly, have side effects - innocent due to temporary insanity.

So all's well with the UAE Mental Health evaluation system then. One flew over the cuckoo's nest indeed...



I think both are excellent decisions.

A psychopathic nutcase will hopefully be executed very quickly for raping and murdering a 4 yr old.

While another psychopathic nutcase will demonstrate to the rest of the world the real fundamental principals of the UAE legal system when you are very important and related to the ruler of the country.

17 comments:

  1. UD you make it sound like it is unusual! We have to pinch ourselves now and again to realise that you are living in a time warp! No Arabic country has open and free press or a judicial system that we would call normal1.
    No one blinks an eye anymore when they read or hear about rapes, torture or abuse of Maids in Arabic countries but in reality slavery still exists, or at least the attitude does! I find it hypocritical that the west should critisise Zimbabwe yet worse happens in Arabic countries - money talks and when the oil runs out or we are less dependent on it we may see some politicians grown some balls.

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  2. "... yet worse happens in Arabic countries." Well I wonder if that is true, but the west would happy to talk about it when it comes to critisizing Arabic countries I believe.

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  3. Come on, these are "benevolent" monarchies, they do what they want :)

    I much rather like the recent story of a woman on her pre-marriage vacation getting raped in dubai on new year's eve by an employee of the address hotel, whereby the victim and her fiancee are getting charged with the illegal premarital sex.

    Sanity all around.

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  4. Ridiculous.. I wonder how the case would go in Texas, US, where the Nabulsi brothers are still continuing the case.

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  5. Sad to say, I think that Plato or Socrates or one of their cohorts got it right in days of yore (and little has changed since then): "Justice is the advantage of the stronger" -- for that read: richer / more influential.
    I need only point out a few recent examples from elsewhere on the Planet re: justice and mis carriage or perceived miscarriage thereof: Blackwater guys vs Iraqi's (in US courts?); Scotland vs Libyan alleged bomber of Pan Am 103; OJ Simpson; Palestine vs Israelis.... Get the picture? Justice is the advantage of the stronger.
    I wish it were different, but if it's taken nearly 2500 yrs since Plato to come this far ....

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  6. A distressing ruling to say the least. He should be charged for the stupidity of his act and the taping, if nothing else. But who is going to champion the issues of the disadvantaged (usually expat laborers) in the Gulf? No one it seems.

    When I was in Kuwait I had a meeting with the Catholic Bishop there to talk about the expat community (many Catholics from SE Asia) and he had the saddest, most disheartened look on his face. He said that the main cause he championed was the abuse of maids, but he had no hope in change.

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  7. Oh my god. Did you know that they eliminated some scenes of the footage because it was too graphic and vile? I couldn't have visions of worse things than what I saw in the video.

    And the boy who was raped, when I saw his picture, I just had to tear. http://forums.islamicawakening.com/politics-jihad-current-affairs/30910-emirati-rapes-kills-boy-masjid-bathroom-after-salat-ul-eid-3.html

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  8. It is not first or last.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROn_9302UHg

    Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers were acquitted of assaulting motorist Rodney King.

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  9. Sick. But the final judgement lies with Allah. And all bad guys get their just comumpence.

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  10. politics has gotten the best of us.. And human-like we are becoming less day by day..

    There will always be a limit to how much we can say or do (All Around The World).. and I am not as powerful as i would like to be, so my comments are limited to sub7an allah, How can someone do that, and Oh my God!!!

    G

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  11. Dear blogger..Can we article on work environment in middle-east, I am working in Oman last six years and found that neither locals nor expatriates are really enjoying the corporate environment. even I completed six years but only reasons behind it was that I had some big responsibilities back home. Most of time so said BIG people mostly looks for the commercial benefits and employees have to praise their bosses... otherwise you are just a .....
    I feel that contribution to development of goes to everyone and these BIG Business house should look into the employee satisfaction first insist of leaving things in top people.

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  12. MIGHT IS RIGHT - This is proved again..shame on the judiciary...No SANE person wudve said ISSA is innocent...

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  13. Dragon,

    this crazy shaik is just as bad and unhuman as those powerfull politicians in the west and especially the USA. he may raped 1 person, but those in the west raped thousands and killed millions and caused billions more to suffer around the world!

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  14. UD,
    Correct me if I am wrong. There are lots of holes in this video. Why should the rich Sheikh directly deal with a poor afghan guy for a load of grain? Is the worth of load of grain really worth it for Sheikh to do this barbarous acts? How come the Afghan is still alive after all this torture and being run over by the 4wheeler? The reality is that the sheikh can get many guys for satsifying his sexual libido for a small amount willingly by many guys in AbuDhabi. Somehow the whole story appears a fraud.

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  15. MET Office, fair comments but the Scots got it right in the end despite interference from US, they fut a finger up and did it their way.

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  16. Injustice is world wide, that is true and there are cases in the US and the UK. The difference is, people would be in the streets protesting and demanding change,,,,, and some time that change happens, not often enough but it does happen.

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