The United States denied submitting any request to the UAE to arrest the American lawyer and human rights activist Assem Ghafour, which contradicts the official statements issued by officials in the UAE that Ghafour’s arrest was made at the request of Washington and in coordination with it, as he is the subject of an investigation by the American authorities.
The US State Department said Monday that it did not request Ghafour's arrest, and that it had raised his case with the Emirati authorities at the highest levels.
The UAE authorities had arrested lawyer Ghafoor at Dubai Airport last Thursday while he was crossing in Dubai towards Istanbul.
An Emirati court sentenced him to 3 years in prison and decided to deport him after serving a prison sentence, on charges of money laundering and tax evasion, charges that Ghafoor denies.
Reuters quoted an Emirati official as saying that the UAE government had received an American request in 2020 to assist in the investigation of the American citizen, Asim Ghafoor.