David Conn on Abu Dhabi and Human Rights

[EddieR]

Had all this before with Thaksin. Are there any ethical fans out there who wouldn't support City because of stuff like this? They're the best owners in the world, so I don't give a toss if they're killing a thousand dissenters a day in their own country.

My thoughts exactly, well nearly exactly, I would go to 10,000 dissenters a day

I've just seen this and I'm aghast and disgusted to have read this from City fans. I hope the mods pull you on it!

 

[taleofbluehalves]

The raising our awareness of some countries attitude to human rights should be applauded but this smacks of amnesty and HRW using City to publicise their own cause. Ironic really.

Some people always harp back to City when they were a "real" club; Neil Ashton often harps back to the Joe Royle era when we got promoted.I'm sure Conn is the same happy when we were poor or average without a hope of success except in our dreams. I don't really understand why any fan would want to go back and let's face it any fan would love ADG to have bought them. We've had an amazing 5 yrs or so and I can't wait for the next few years. Along the way we'll have to continue to listen to this negative press.

 

[brotherblue]

Being born and raised in the United Arab Emirates I would just like to say that no country in current time or perhaps even in history has ever had better Rulers than UAE

You just cannot have rulers like UAE, The UAE nationals are some of the most blessed people to have such great rulers, from sheikh zayed to his sons including our owner sheikh mansoor to the rest of the emirates like Dubai sharjah etc.

The benefits and life style that they have provided for their people is unmatched anywhere in the world, the things locals enjoy here are unbelieveable

Education, Health care, Housing, Marriage funds, Jobs and Job opportunities, Business loans and opportunities you name it!

If there indeed were 94 individuals who wanted to overthrow the government than they were probably the most deluded, stupid and completely mental coz there is notthing more a ruler can do than what the rulers here already are doing for their people

And not only their people but for people like me and my parents who moved here 37 years ago to be exact, and we benefited immensely from this country, it gave us soooo much we cant ever thank this country and its wise leadership enough

The peace, security, comfort, education, healthcare, job and business opportunities we got here are unbelievable.

I and my family have never been robbed or stolen from, Never any crimes commited against us, they have worked hard to keep us and our property safe while providing us plenty of opportunities to make a good living and live a peaceful life.

I cry everytime i think of Sheikh Zayed and our rulers here, I really do and im 30 years old!


Our rulers and leaders have not committed ANY crime against humanity and not violated any human rights

the country has one of the best safety and security records worldwide
there are no murders and killings here, its UAE for God's sake!

 

[pavelsrnicek]

Just sort your Human Rights out then Abu Dhabi - transparent legal systyem, better prisons, rights to appeal, fair and adequate sentences and then there's no problem to be confronted with. Opening discussions with with amnestey would be a good first step. Do it now to nip such allegations in the bud.

Usually once the Guardian sports section covers an issue then everything changes, so no doubt as soon those in power in UAE read Conn's article then democratic reform will be sorted in the morning. A previous Guardian article on doping in East Germany brought down the Berlin Wall.

I detect a facetious tone - and I take your point to some extent. However - ultimately the Berlin Wall did fall and we are now witnessing the unrest in the Gulf States. Just because we don't want to read or believe anything detrimental to City it shouldn't mean ignore it.

Absolutely right no City supporter wants to see articles that are detrimental to City and to an extent much of the response in here is a knee jerk reaction to it.

I can understand Conn's viewpoint and almost admire it. He is taking a stand and making his point in the best way he can. I do have concerns that he has a particular viewpoint on club ownership in general, i.e. rich owners bad, and many of his articles on us and others reflect this view and it can make much of his writing a little polemic. Also much his current article strains the connections between City, Mansour and the ills of the UAE in general especially in regards to workers rights and their treatment.

I also accept many people don't see a distinction between Sheikh Mansour and the UAE government but it has always been stated that his investment with us is personal, which Conn himself is well aware of, but willing to overlook in his piece.

Unfortunately as Sheikh Mansour is part of the ruling family in the UAE there will always be a far closer association between City and the actions of the UAE government then say between say Uzbeki citizens and the actions of the Uzbekistan government so the issues that some people raise with say Usmanov to me are a little redundant.

I don't accept that because human rights abuses happen in many places we should ignore it in the UAE as it has a connection to City and I have to admit feeling a little uncomfortable reading up on the case involving the 59 people convicted but my research has been limited. I do think however there has been a bit of hand wringing about the trial without knowledge and there is a real failure in the West to appreciate the level of fear in the UAE of a copy cat Muslim Brotherhood. The apparent on-going links between al Islah and the Muslim Brotherhood scares a lot of people there. There also concerns that al Islah is not some benign non violent organisation seeking reform but being used to bring an Arab Spring in the UAE and is forming a military wing.


The UAE is a strange country where Emiratis are almost set for life, non-Emiratis are welcome as they are necessary and can live and work in peace as long as they don't rock the boat. Long term it may not last without some reform but in general, it is a pretty civilised liberal society in an Islamic State. It is peaceful and a popular escape for many Arabs. It is far from perfect but compared to some of its neighbours it's an oasis.

I think any article that highlights abuse should be taken seriously but part of me feels that Conn's piece is a tiny bit cynical as it's a mutual coincidence of wants between Human Rights Watch, who want to bring their views on UAE to a wider audience by association with City and Conn who can continue to bang his "rich owners bad" drum and pump up his profile.

 

[The Flash]

Being born and raised in the United Arab Emirates I would just like to say that no country in current time or perhaps even in history has ever had better Rulers than UAE

You just cannot have rulers like UAE, The UAE nationals are some of the most blessed people to have such great rulers, from sheikh zayed to his sons including our owner sheikh mansoor to the rest of the emirates like Dubai sharjah etc.

The benefits and life style that they have provided for their people is unmatched anywhere in the world, the things locals enjoy here are unbelieveable

Education, Health care, Housing, Marriage funds, Jobs and Job opportunities, Business loans and opportunities you name it!

If there indeed were 94 individuals who wanted to overthrow the government than they were probably the most deluded, stupid and completely mental coz there is notthing more a ruler can do than what the rulers here already are doing for their people

And not only their people but for people like me and my parents who moved here 37 years ago to be exact, and we benefited immensely from this country, it gave us soooo much we cant ever thank this country and its wise leadership enough

The peace, security, comfort, education, healthcare, job and business opportunities we got here are unbelievable.

I and my family have never been robbed or stolen from, Never any crimes commited against us, they have worked hard to keep us and our property safe while providing us plenty of opportunities to make a good living and live a peaceful life.

I cry everytime i think of Sheikh Zayed and our rulers here, I really do and im 30 years old!

good afternoon your Highness

Don't Corky, you'll have the lad in tears again.

 

[nijinsky's fetlocks]

Being born and raised in the United Arab Emirates I would just like to say that no country in current time or perhaps even in history has ever had better Rulers than UAE

You just cannot have rulers like UAE, The UAE nationals are some of the most blessed people to have such great rulers, from sheikh zayed to his sons including our owner sheikh mansoor to the rest of the emirates like Dubai sharjah etc.

The benefits and life style that they have provided for their people is unmatched anywhere in the world, the things locals enjoy here are unbelieveable

Education, Health care, Housing, Marriage funds, Jobs and Job opportunities, Business loans and opportunities you name it!

If there indeed were 94 individuals who wanted to overthrow the government than they were probably the most deluded, stupid and completely mental coz there is notthing more a ruler can do than what the rulers here already are doing for their people

And not only their people but for people like me and my parents who moved here 37 years ago to be exact, and we benefited immensely from this country, it gave us soooo much we cant ever thank this country and its wise leadership enough

The peace, security, comfort, education, healthcare, job and business opportunities we got here are unbelievable.

I and my family have never been robbed or stolen from, Never any crimes commited against us, they have worked hard to keep us and our property safe while providing us plenty of opportunities to make a good living and live a peaceful life.

I cry everytime i think of Sheikh Zayed and our rulers here, I really do and im 30 years old!

And IF those people arrested for a great crime like over throwing the government and bringing the country to chaos and causing loss of life, property, bloodshed, instability and other calamities were tortured (which has not been proved) then so be it!

Its not like people in Guantanamo were not tortured or abu ghuraib n all the other secret prisons! what action has anyone taken for them!?

Our rulers and leaders have not committed ANY crime against humanity and not violated any human rights

the country has one of the best safety and security records worldwide
there are no murders and killings here, its UAE for God's sake!

Can I have a job working for the UAE tourist board alongside you?
I am gay - I trust that won't be a problem in such an enlightened country as the one you describe?

 

[Zabbasbeard]

It's quite obvious what Mansoor and co have been doing, who had heard of Etihad airways before they sponsored City? who would invest so much money, turning a joke team into title winners, then invest again so that we will then sport the best training facilities in Europe, if not the world?
It's a massive vanity project, designed to project a more positive perception of the Middle East to the West, and you can argue that it's done a bloody good job, what with the rest of the Middle East in the grip of an Arab Spring or civil war, Abu Dhabi seems to be untouched by these matters. But we've recently had Cameron pimping our weapons of oppression, out on a jolly, with a sack full of fighter jets to Abu Dhabi, I don't think our owners are going to be getting the elbow for human rights violations before Cameron and Co are.
Yes it's not perfect, there are violations of human rights, but what about the violations on our own soil, we have pensioners being dumped in granny farms being abused left right and centre, left to whither away without food or beaten by surly nurses, not to mention Tasmeside ( shameside as my mum calls it) where patients are treated like animals, lets not forget the amount of people who die in police custody each year, or the kettling at demo's etc....
yes, no country is perfect, but we should get our own house in order before we should start pointing the finger at other countries, especially if we selling them potential weapons of oppression.

this

 

[Krieng_Thai OSC]

I work and live here for 11 years. Abu Dhabi is a good city, very safe to live. I don't have to care much about locking my car or locking my door. Human rights is not an issue for people here, never think I was abuse at all.
You know here is not a democracy country actually every tiny sands owned by Abu Dhabi ruler and here is Muslim state too. You cannot judge human right using same norm and for sure local will never have right to vote for president. The country like this is depending on one man, the ruler. I can tell you compare to other monarchy Muslim country, Abu Dhabi is a paradise.

 

[Blue Mooner]

Being born and raised in the United Arab Emirates I would just like to say that no country in current time or perhaps even in history has ever had better Rulers than UAE

You just cannot have rulers like UAE, The UAE nationals are some of the most blessed people to have such great rulers, from sheikh zayed to his sons including our owner sheikh mansoor to the rest of the emirates like Dubai sharjah etc.

The benefits and life style that they have provided for their people is unmatched anywhere in the world, the things locals enjoy here are unbelieveable

Education, Health care, Housing, Marriage funds, Jobs and Job opportunities, Business loans and opportunities you name it!

If there indeed were 94 individuals who wanted to overthrow the government than they were probably the most deluded, stupid and completely mental coz there is notthing more a ruler can do than what the rulers here already are doing for their people

And not only their people but for people like me and my parents who moved here 37 years ago to be exact, and we benefited immensely from this country, it gave us soooo much we cant ever thank this country and its wise leadership enough

The peace, security, comfort, education, healthcare, job and business opportunities we got here are unbelievable.

I and my family have never been robbed or stolen from, Never any crimes commited against us, they have worked hard to keep us and our property safe while providing us plenty of opportunities to make a good living and live a peaceful life.

I cry everytime i think of Sheikh Zayed and our rulers here, I really do and im 30 years old!

And IF those people arrested for a great crime like over throwing the government and bringing the country to chaos and causing loss of life, property, bloodshed, instability and other calamities were tortured (which has not been proved) then so be it!

Its not like people in Guantanamo were not tortured or abu ghuraib n all the other secret prisons! what action has anyone taken for them!?

Our rulers and leaders have not committed ANY crime against humanity and not violated any human rights

the country has one of the best safety and security records worldwide
there are no murders and killings here, its UAE for God's sake!

Having been on holiday to Abu Dhabi it is one one of the safest places I have ever visited, the locals seem to have a lifestyle that is beyond the dreams of 95% of UK people. If there are extremist nutters that wish to impose some hard line Islamist state on the UAE then I applaud the UAE rulers for protecting their people.

The scenes we witness in Syria and Egypt show that what sheikh mansour offers the people of the UAE is safety and security as well as a gilded lifestyle. I simply find it incredulous that Conn and Amnesty international seek to highlight something that in the grander scheme of what is going on in the world is very trivial. This is nothing more than a cheap shot at our club and a means by which they use our club to promote their own agenda's as well as to try and destabilise what is happening at City. Disgraceful journalism.

 

[M18CTID]

Ladies and gentlemen, Rag Café has spoken:

They could hold a live human sacrifice at the wastelands and they'd be quite happy long as they won the next derby.

I must take issue with that. I'd only be happy with such a scenario if those being sacrificed were made up of the 3,000 reds in the away end. (For any gullible fuckers over on the dark side, that was a joke by the way)

Either way, I don't seem to remember any United fans pulling out their moral compass when Louis Edwards was busy selling condemned meat to schools across the north west of England.