Children of UAE94 activist left stateless after citizenships revoked

Children of a jailed UAE activist have had their Emirati citizenships revoked this week, activists said on Wednesday.

They are the children of Mohammed Abdulraziq al-Siddiq who was jailed for ten years and had his nationality stripped following a government crackdown on political activism in 2011.

Local media referred to the series of trials against the political reformers as the UAE94.

Asma, Doaa and Omar - all in their twenties - were told to report to Sharjah's migration department on Wednesday and to bring with them all forms ID.

When they raised concerns about this, a police man reassured them it was for their own benefit.

After reporting to the office, the children were told that their UAE citizenships had been revoked, and that they should start looking for new nationalities.

Activists said they were given no reason for actions and have been left with no ID, a punishable offence in the UAE.

They had already had a travel ban slapped on them, and Asma's husband is already in jail.

Siddiq was part of a group of Emirati activists, public servants and academics who called for political reforms in 2011, during the height of the Arab Spring unrest.

After a wave of arrests they were put on trial in closed court sessions. Human rights groups described the trials which resulted in long prison sentences as "flagrantly unfair".

The UAE frequently revokes the citizenship of political dissenters and have imposed a travel ban on Emirati activist Ahmed Mansoor.