Video: Sheik beats, rapes, and runs over migrant. But is acquitted.

[Dari]

He does this for 4 hours. No doubt a lot of petrodollars changed hands. Sadastic animals.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/01/10/uae.sheikh.torture.aquittal/index.html

UAE sheikh acquitted in taped beating
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Sheikh acquitted Sunday of charges linked to videotaped torture of Afghan grain dealer
Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, is a member of the emirates' ruling family,
He was charged with rape, endangering life and causing bodily harm
In evidence was 3-hour tape shot in 2004 of the alleged incident
RELATED TOPICS
United Arab Emirates
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (CNN) -- A United Arab Emirates sheikh was acquitted Sunday of charges connected to the videotaped beating and torture of an Afghan grain dealer.

Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, a member of the emirates' ruling family, was charged with rape, endangering life and causing bodily harm in connection with the nearly three-hour long tape shot in 2004 in the desert outside Abu Dhabi, one of the United Arab Emirates in the Persian Gulf region.

However, the court acquitted Issa on Sunday, ruling he had diminished responsibility for his actions because of the effects of medication his defense attorney claimed he was given. Issa had a "lack of criminal responsibility," the court found, defense attorney Habib al-Mulla told CNN.

"The judiciary system acquitted Issa based on the evidence presented by the defense that the sheikh was under the influence of drugs given to him," al-Mulla said. "That deprived him from his poise and caused him to carry out acts that were out of consciousness and that were photographed with the intention for later extortion."

The tape surfaced last year as a piece of evidence in a federal civil suit filed in Houston, Texas, against the sheikh by his former business partner, Bassam Nabulsi. It caused outrage among human rights groups and in the United States, where senior U.S. officials familiar with the case said the tape delayed the ratification of a civil nuclear deal between the UAE and the United States.

On the tape, Issa is seen along with a private security officer stuffing sand in the man's mouth. As the grain dealer pleads and whimpers, he is beaten with a nailed board, burned in the genitals with a cigarette lighter, shocked with a cattle prod and led to believe he would be shot. Salt is poured into his wounds.

In the end, the victim can muster up only weak moans as an SUV is repeatedly driven over him.

"No one can prove that this videotape has not been tampered with," al-Mulla said Sunday. The only person who can confirm the incidents happened as seen on the tape is the victim, and he has not confirmed that, he added. "We deny the incident as it was shown on that videotape."

The defense did not just center on the medication, he said, but claimed that the videotape and other incidents from that night were all part of a conspiracy aimed at blackmailing the sheikh.

During the trial, the defense presented medical reports from experts in the United States and the United Arab Emirates showing that the various types of medicines given to Issa, when combined, "would lead any person to act in a very aggressive manner, losing his control and his behavior."

Asked about a Human Rights Watch statement that one trial was not enough to stop torture and restore the United Arab Emirates' image, al-Mulla told CNN he believed the UAE was "courageous" to hold the trial, calling it "a very positive signal of what the UAE is trying to achieve."

The incident allegedly was triggered by Issa's belief he was cheated in a business deal. UAE officials have said the grain dealer survived and has settled the matter privately with the sheikh, with the two agreeing not to bring formal charges against the other.

Al-Mulla said he is "pleased with the verdict as it was proven that Sheikh Issa was a victim, and he was not what the media tried to portray him [as]."

The Afghan man was in the courtroom, and the court issued him a "temporary" compensation of 10,000 dirhams ($2,722), al-Mulla said.

Nabulsi, a Lebanese-born U.S. citizen now living in Houston, said he met Issa when the sheikh came to Houston for medical treatment in 1994. They became friends and business partners and the sheikh recruited Nabulsi to move to Abu Dhabi to work for him.

In the lawsuit, Nabulsi claimers breaches of contract and fiduciary duty. A federal court dismissed the suit in June, ruling it did not have jurisdiction, according to online federal court records. Nabulsi has appealed to the Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals.

Nabulsi told CNN in April the sheikh turned on him after he expressed concern over the Afghan's treatment. Later, he was arrested on drug charges, and security officers working for the sheikh ransacked his home and demanded the torture video. But the tape -- shot by Nabulsi's brother at the order of the sheikh, he said -- had already been smuggled out of the country.

Nabulsi said he was arrested, jailed and ultimately convicted on drug charges -- and was tortured and humiliated by UAE police, who demanded he return the tape.

Al-Mulla said Sunday Nabulsi was sentenced to five years in jail in absentia, agreeing that he was responsible for the drugging of the sheikh. Prosecutors will attempt to implement the sentence through Interpol, he said.

CNN's Caroline Faraj, Stan Grant and Saad Abedine contributed to this report.

 

[theflyingpig]

Islam: Protecting Rapists and Punishing their Victims​

 

[JSt0rm]

Islam: Protecting Rapists and Punishing their Victims​

everyone knows this

 

[Robor]

Disgusting but don't forget our justice system let OJ go free after 2 murders.

 

[fantolay]

Wow. Nice place to live huh?

 

[Argo]

Did anybody really doubt that outcome?

 

[Jhhnn]

Oh, please. It's not about Islam per se but rather about middle eastern Royalty and the privilege associated with it. They rule by divine right, make sure that the local clergy supports that, just as the clergy supported the whole thing in Europe until relatively recently. God will be on your side, provided you have enough men with swords, guns, whatever, to convince the clergy to say that he is.

Issa's attorney says "It's the Drugs!", so of course it's the drugs. Everybody knows this, actually knew it before the verdict was issued, before it ever went to court. He could have claimed demonic possession and obtained the same result. God made it that way.

 

[Craig234]

It's like watching a history book of how the blacks used to be treated.

Luckily, most here are 'American' enough to have this assault their values.

Unfortunately, we took sides along ago for the Sheiks, in a deal brokered by the great humanitarian Henry Kissinger based on nothing but or access to oil. But they hate us for our freedom.

 

[Zebo]

Islam: Protecting Rapists and Punishing their Victims​

Depends if you have 4 male witnesses to the rape - then his ass will get a head chop, otherwise she's obviously guilty of lewd behavior and deserves lashing.


And it's all about Islam. All these rules are spelled out. Like a infidel can't testify against a Muslim. Like females word means nothing. etc creating a Islamic supremacist aura within all institutions where no one else has rights. Think of it as good ole boy network x 1000.

 

[Craig234]

Depends if you have 4 male witnesses to the rape - then his ass will get a head chop, otherwise she's obviously guilty of lewd behavior and deserves lashing.


And it's all about Islam. All these rules are spelled out. Like a infidel can't testify against a Muslim. Like females word means nothing. etc creating a Islamic supremacist aura within all institutions where no one else has rights. Think of it as good ole boy network x 1000.

I'm usually challenging your excesses on these issues, but I think these Islamic courts have serious defects.

Progressives have to explore the line between advocating justice and respecting diversity.

One thing is that there is agreement up to the "Injstices in the courts include" list, but not with the "and therefore we should kill them all" part.

 

[nick1985]

lol islam

 

[Dari]

I like how, in the video, the sheik's lawyer says that 'no one can prove this video hasn't been doctored'. Shouldn't he have to prove that it has been doctored? He kept repeating it so that must've been the basis of his case.

 

[Zebo]

I'm usually challenging your excesses on these issues, but I think these Islamic courts have serious defects.

Progressives have to explore the line between advocating justice and respecting diversity.

One thing is that there is agreement up to the "Injstices in the courts include" list, but not with the "and therefore we should kill them all" part.

The success (by our standards) of human rights and justice in Islamic countries is reciprocal how far they can distance themselves from Sharia. Some are decent, still not where near the west or far east but still acceptable, like Morocco, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan etc but some are absolute crazy mostly in Arabia itself. This is why this individual couldn't even file a tort claim against his business partner and most companies require foreign escrow before even starting work in Arabia. So any conflict can be resolved neutrally in Switzerland usually.

As far as kill em all - you misrepresent my views or I don't communicate clearly. My point is always we should not be involved in theater if we don't have what it takes.

Taliban/AQ will kill a Pushtun and hang his body up for a week for all to see for talking or collaborating with Americans. That is a war we can't win unless willing to do the same. There are some other options like SF living with tribes, gaining confidence, protecting them and so on - but all that does is keep the peace until we are gone. Soon as we leave the brutal thugs can come back in and were back to square one. How you really get the militants and wipe them out is adoption of similar brutal methods proven time and time again. Sad but reality. If we understood this as a nation, perhaps we'd be a little less eager before war fighting.

 

[Craig234]

The success (by our standards) of human rights and justice in Islamic countries is reciprocal how far they can distance themselves from Sharia. Some are decent, still not where near the west or far east but still acceptable, like Morocco, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan etc but some are absolute crazy mostly in Arabia itself. This is why this individual couldn't even file a tort claim against his business partner and most companies require foreign escrow before even starting work in Arabia. So any conflict can be resolved neutrally in Switzerland usually.

As far as kill em all - you misrepresent my views or I don't communicate clearly. My point is always we should not be involved in theater if we don't have what it takes.

Sorry, my last comment wasn't specific to you, it was referring to those who say that or similar. But I don't know what you mean by the last part, that phrase oftens means 'a willingness to kill massively'.

 

[Zebo]

I know it upsets a lot of people even lending credence to such despicable tactics - but was a scientist by trade so I like to know what works. But I guess some things should not be mentioned?

 

[shira]

He does this for 4 hours. No doubt a lot of petrodollars changed hands. Sadastic animals.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/01/10/uae.sheikh.torture.aquittal/index.html

I'm failing to understand the basis of the rape charge.

 

[Zebo]

Sorry, my last comment wasn't specific to you, it was referring to those who say that or similar. But I don't know what you mean by the last part, that phrase oftens means 'a willingness to kill massively'.

There is no one size fits all approach to insurgencies. There are different factors at play requiring unique solutions to each playing various sensibilities.. What worked on the Boers by English might not work on Iraqis. What worked on the Kurds by Iran might not work on Afghanis. And so on. But all have one factor in common. Willingness to Kill, Intern, torture and sometimes massively.

 

[Craig234]

There is no one size fits all approach to insurgencies. There are different factors at play requiring unique solutions to each playing various sensibilities.. What worked on the Boers by English might not work on Iraqis. What worked on the Kurds by Iran might not work on Afghanis. And so on. But all have one factor in common. Willingness to Kill, Intern, torture and sometimes massively.

I don't rank war criminals who say they feel guilty but do it much above war criminals who don't.

You seem to have tried to carve out a 'good guys who are war criminals only because it's effective' niche.

 

[Patranus]

What do you expect. The wife of the bomber who killed those CIA agents a week or so ago knew about the attack ahead of time and and nothing. Not only that she also said she was proud of her husband.

She should be tried, convicted, and executed.

 

[Sinsear]

The religion of peace...

 

[LunarRay]

Let's not buy their oil.. that will fix them!

 

[Zebo]

I don't rank war criminals who say they feel guilty but do it much above war criminals who don't.

You seem to have tried to carve out a 'good guys who are war criminals only because it's effective' niche.

I think it's criminal wage stand still or stale mate wars. Perhaps it's the way of things today - a combination of lining MIC pockets perpetually, our modern media and moors, tenants and attitudes of population but it's a frightful waste of men money and materials. Call me when you want to get serious and follow successful documented examples of Alexander to MacArthur until then I don't want any part of it.

 

[Red Dawn]

lol Religion

 

[IceBergSLiM]

Disgusting but don't forget our justice system let OJ go free after 2 murders.

A jury of his peers let him off the hook. The system worked fine. The prosecution fucked up.

 

[Robor]

What do you expect. The wife of the bomber who killed those CIA agents a week or so ago knew about the attack ahead of time and and nothing. Not only that she also said she was proud of her husband.

She should be tried, convicted, and executed.

I'm no cop/lawyer but wouldn't that make her an accessory to murder?