Royalty in the News

Sheikh Issa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan of Abu Dhabi was cleared of all charges in a torture trial on Sunday. He was acquitted of causing bodily harm, rape and other forms of torture to an Afghan man in 2004. The incident was caught on videotape.

AFP/FILE

Upon hearing the acquittal, the Sheikh hugged his defense lawyer and walked out of the courtroom without speaking to reporters. It was the first time a member of the UAE’s ruling family was put on trial. Usually, any issues are dealt with secretly and according to tribal customs.

Judge Mubarak al-Awad said Issa was innocent of torture due to being in a “diminished liability” state of mind. Issa’s lawyer, Habib al-Mullah, claimed his client was on a series of medications which influenced his mentality at the time of the torture. While the exact list of medication the Sheikh was on was never made public, a forensic expert testified that such a mix could cause “anger, suicidal tendencies, depression, aggression and loss of memory.”

Habib al-Mulla told reporters following the acquittal, “the fact that this trial is taking place is a sign that the UAE is showing that everyone in this country can be put in front of law and judged.”

The videotape of the beating of Afghan grainer, Mohammed Shapoor, was made in 2004, but made its way to the Internet and the U.S.’s ABC television station last year. On the tape, a man identified as Sheikh Issa is beating Shapoor ruthlessly. He was run over by an SUV, had sand poured down his throat and was beaten with a wooden plank.

Shapoor was at Sunday’s court session, and did not speak to any reporters upon hearing the acquittal.

One reason why the tape surfaced in 2009 may have had something to do with a lawsuit by Bassam Nabulsi, an American businessman. He tried to sue Issa in the United States for millions of dollars for business deals he claimed the Sheikh owed him.

The defense said Nabulsi issued the videotape of the torture to blackmail his former associate. They also said his brother, Ghassan, filmed the video.

Judge al-Awad sentenced Bassam and Ghassan to five years behind bars for overseeing the Sheikh’s medication, putting Shapoor’s life on the line, and filming him without permission.