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UAE Royal Sheik Issa Caught on Tape Torturing Man

250px-torture_scene_implicates_uae_royal_sheikhSheik Issa bin Zayed al Nahyan, the brother of the Crown Prince of the United Arab Emirates, Prince Mohammed, has been caught torturing a man that he accused of cheating him in a grain deal. Issa is shown shooting at the man who is bound in the sand and, with the help of a police officer, beating the man and forcing him to eat sand. The torture occurred at the royal ranch and was over a $5000 disagreement — for one of the world’s wealthiest individuals.

Notably, this conduct would have not been viewed as torture under the Bush Administration standards. The government insisted that “all rules, policies and procedures were followed correctly by the Police Department.” It appears that Professor John Yoo and Judge Jay Bybee have found work as legal consultants.

Afghan grain dealer Mohammed Shah Poor was accused of shortchanging on the delivery of grain. Issa is shown encouraging the cameraman to get a closer and better picture of the torture. “Get closer, get closer, let his suffering show!” Issa yells on the tape.

Issa is one of 22 “Royal Sheikhs” and a son of the country’s president, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

While the government is insisting that the police acted perfectly and legally, Bassam Nabulsi, a businessman from Houston, Texas, says that he was arrested for narcotics when he refused to turn over the tape. He is a former business partner of Sheikh Issa and was thrown into an UAE prison. After serving time, he was deported with his passport stamped “Not Allowed to Return to the UAE.”

It is an interesting problem for New York University since Issa and his family are funding the new NYU Abu Dhabi campus.
This link provides access to an exclusive ABC report with video evidence of one of the 22 royal sheikhs of the United Arab Emirates, the powerful brothers who are currently funding the building and managing of NYU’s Abu Dhabi campus, taking part in torture with the help of uniformed UAE police officers.

For the video, click here.

For the story, click here.

5 thoughts on “UAE Royal Sheik Issa Caught on Tape Torturing Man”

  1. The US is enraged about torture! From Glen Greenwald:

    “UAE “torture” scandal and cover-up sparks outrage in the U.S.

    As more videotapes emerge documenting the torture inflicted on numerous victims by Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, a prince of the United Arab Emirates, the controversy is beginning to jeopardize the UAE’s relationship with the United States, a country that absolutely loathes torture and demands real accountability for those who do it:

    “I have more than two hours of video footage showing Sheikh Issa’s involvement in the torture of more than 25 people,” wrote Texas-based lawyer Anthony Buzbee in a letter obtained by the Observer.

    The news of more torture videos involving Issa is another huge blow to the international image of the UAE . . . . The fresh revelations about Issa’s actions will add further doubt to a pending nuclear energy deal between the UAE and the US. The deal, signed in the final days of George W Bush, is seen as vital for the UAE. It will see the US share nuclear energy expertise, fuel and technology in return for a promise to abide by non-proliferation agreements. But the deal needs to be recertified by the Obama administration and there is growing outrage in America over the tapes. Congressman James McGovern, a senior Democrat, has demanded that Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, investigate the matter and find out why US officials initially appeared to play down its significance.

    The U.S. is a very tolerant nation, but the one thing we simply cannot abide is when a government fails adequately to investigate allegations of torture on the part of key officials and fails to hold them accountable. That’s where we draw the line.”

  2. Ahhh, the UAE.

    Cheney should feel right at home while waiting for the SEAL team to come get him in the middle of the night.

  3. I was stiffed on legal fees by a Saudi businessman a number of years ago. Until reading this story, I was unaware of the collection procedures available to me. This post should qualify for CLE credit.

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