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Smuggled Video Tape Shows UAE Sheikh Torturing Man

by Peter Mychalcewycz on April 23, 2009 at 10:50 AM


The Internet may have its share of silly material, but every so often it provides us with crucial information that might not otherwise see the light of day.

The word "torture" has been thrown around in the media lately. While the recently released documents detailing the waterboarding of U.S. detainees is disturbing, a video of torture practices that was recently smuggled out of the United Arab Emirates -- and profiled by ABC News -- is absolutely horrifying.

The 45-minute video was smuggled out of the U.A.E. by Bassam Nabulsi, a current Houston resident and former business partner of the torturer -- Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al Nahyan. In the video, Sheikh Issa, who is the brother of crown prince Sheikh Mohammed, brutally tortures a man he believes has cheated him out a load of grain. Sheikh Issa begins by shoveling sand into the man's mouth as police officers hold him down. A bit later, the man screams as an automatic machine gun is fired into the sand around him.

Later, the man is bound and beaten with a board, complete with protruding nails. After that portion of the beating, the man's wounds are filled with salt. To sum up the rest of the gruesome video, a cattle prod and a Mercedes SUV are utilized in ways not intended by their manufacturers, nor permitted for network broadcast.

If you were hoping for some sort of justice, prepare to be disappointed. Here, we kid you not, is the official response from the UAE's Interior Ministry. While it acknowledged that the person in the video is indeed Sheikh Issa, it concluded that "the incidents depicted in the video tapes were not part of a pattern of behavior." Surprised? Don't be. The Minister of the Interior is Sheikh Issa's brother.

As for the actions of the police officers who assisted the Sheikh, a government review found that "all rules, policies and procedures were followed correctly by the Police Department." But of course.

Situations like this make us truly thankful for the Internet. Sheikh Issa may have gotten away with this in the UAE, but, thanks to the World Wide Web, he is guilty in the court of public opinion. [From: ABC News]

Tags: sheikh issa, SheikhIssa, torture, uae, viral video, ViralVideo

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