Christopher Davidson, author of 'After the Sheikhs: The Coming Collapse of the Gulf Monarchies', spoke this week:
... the "UAE 94" trial provides a useful example of how these monarchies deal with opposition.
Ah, what is the UAE 94? Very briefly:
Last week, just a day before Morsi's ousting, verdicts were announced in the "UAE 94" case – a mass trial of Emirati activists which has been condemned by human rights organisations as fundamentally unfair. Of the 94 accused, 69 were given jail sentences of between seven and 15 years, while 25 others were acquitted. Many – but by no means all – of them are members of al-Islah, a local Islamic movement which the authorities have been eager to link to the Muslim Brotherhood.
Link:http://www.al-bab.com/blog/2013/july...opposition.htm