Protests in UK in support of Indian death row convict in UAE

London, Nov 12: A protest demonstration was held in front of the UAE embassy here in support of an Indian man allegedly wrongly imprisoned and sentenced to death for rape in Abu Dhabi.

The demonstrators also presented a petition in support of E K Gangadharan yesterday addressed to UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and the UAE Ambassadors to India and the UK.

The campaign to save Gangadharan is gathering momentum, particularly across India.

The petition said Gangadharan had worked in the UAE "loyally and blamelessly" for 32 years in Al Rabeeh School in Abu Dhabi.

He has been sentenced to death on charge of rape.

It states that Gangadharan was beaten and degraded in prison, including being denied food and water for three days.

Gangadharan pleaded innocent at his trial in the First Court and will do so at his appeal hearing.

It is alleged that he was denied a fair trial as his court-appointed interpreter spoke Hindi and not his native language of Malayalam.

The petition claims DNA evidence showing that Gangadharan did not commit the crime, was not given in court.

Human Rights Watch representative Nick McGeehan said, "The silence surrounding this case is concerning. It is imperative that the UAE authorities conduct an immediate investigation into allegations that Gangadharan endured torture and didn't receive proper legal assistance either before or during his trial. And the Indian authorities should be lobbying hard for this investigation."

Director of the Emirates Centre for Human Rights, Rori Donaghy said, "This case bears the hallmark of one where the defendant has been convicted without being given a fair hearing. It is of grave concern that a man is facing the death penalty when there are allegations of torture that have not been investigated."

He said, over the past year there have been numerous allegations that prisoners in the UAE have been tortured in order to extract confessions and that 75 per cent of prisoners at Dubai Central Prison claim to have been physically abused.

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Pak jail authorities say Imran Khan is alive and healthy after ‘murder’ rumours spark panic

News Network

November 27,2025

Authorities at Pakistan’s high-security Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi on Wednesday dismissed speculation about the condition of imprisoned former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, rejecting rumours that he had been moved out of the facility or was in danger. Officials said Khan was in “good health” and described the viral death claims as “baseless.”

“There is no truth to reports about his transfer from Adiala Jail,” the Rawalpindi prison administration said in a statement, according to Geo News. “He is fully healthy and receiving complete medical attention.”

Amid swirling rumours on social media, Imran Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), urged the federal government to issue an official clarification and demanded that authorities allow his family to meet him immediately, Dawn reported.

The frenzy began after Khan’s three sisters called for an impartial probe into what they described as a “brutal” police assault on them and other PTI supporters outside Adiala Jail last week. Soon after, several social media handles circulated unverified claims alleging that Khan had been “killed” inside the prison.

The rumours intensified when a handle named “Afghanistan Times” claimed that “credible sources” had confirmed Khan’s “murder” and that his body had been moved out of the jail — allegations that have not been verified by any credible agency.

Imran Khan, PTI’s patron-in-chief, has been lodged in the Rawalpindi prison since August 2023 in multiple cases. For over a month, an undeclared restriction has prevented family members and senior PTI leaders from meeting him. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has reportedly been denied access despite making seven attempts.

In a letter to Punjab Police Chief Usman Anwar, Khan’s sisters — Noreen Niazi, Aleema Khan, and Dr. Uzma Khan — said they were “peacefully protesting” outside the jail when police allegedly launched an unprovoked assault after streetlights were switched off.

“At 71, I was seized by my hair, thrown to the ground and dragged across the road,” Noreen Niazi said, alleging that other women present were also slapped and manhandled.

Adiala Jail officials reiterated that speculation over Imran Khan’s health was unfounded and insisted that his well-being was being ensured, Geo News reported.

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