Federal Supreme Court Sentences 24 Defendants To Life Imprisonment In Justice And Dignity Organization Case

The Federal Supreme Court recently made a significant ruling concerning the "Terrorist Justice and Dignity Organization" case. On Thursday, 26 June 2025, the court decided to partially overturn a previous judgment by the State Security Chamber at the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal. This decision led to the reconviction of 24 defendants, sentencing them to life imprisonment for their involvement with the organisation and for funding the "Al-Islah Terrorist Organization." Additionally, all funds and items linked to these crimes were ordered to be confiscated.

Attorney General Dr. Hamad Saif Al Shamsi had challenged the appellate court's earlier decision, which dismissed charges against these defendants due to their prior trial in Case No. 79 of 2012 - State Security. He argued that this dismissal was legally flawed because it did not consider the more serious offenses of financing and collaborating with a terrorist group. The Attorney General insisted that penalties for these offenses should have been applied, taking into account any sentences already served under the previous ruling.

The Federal Supreme Court reviewed this appeal and found merit in it. The court recognised a clear legal distinction between incidents in the two cases, which invalidated claims that they shared the same cause or subject matter. Each incident was deemed an independent criminal act deserving its own punishment under law. Consequently, the court decided to partially overturn the judgment and reconvict 24 defendants, sentencing them to life imprisonment.

The court's decision highlighted that the prior judgement in Case No. 79 of 2012 only addressed one crime: establishing and managing the "Al-Islah Organization" as per Article 180/1 of the Penal Code. It did not cover separate crimes like financing a terrorist organisation or collaborating with one, both outlined in Federal Law No. 1 of 2004 on Combating Terrorist Crimes, which carry more severe penalties.

This ruling underscores that the previous verdict in Case No. 79 of 2012 does not prevent prosecuting defendants for financing and collaboration charges in this case. The challenged judgment failed by dismissing these charges based on past rulings despite differences in cause and subject matter. This oversight necessitated partial overturning limited to defendants named in the Attorney General’s appeal.

In an earlier related case known publicly as Case No. 87 of 2023, involving leaders and members of the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood organisation along with six companies, sentences ranged from life imprisonment to fines totalling 20 million dirhams. Out of those tried, one defendant was acquitted while others faced various penalties.

Increased Convictions Following New Ruling

Following this recent ruling by the State Security Chamber of Federal Supreme Court, total convictions now stand at 83 out of 84 individuals referred for trial within this case context alone—highlighting ongoing efforts against terrorism-related activities within judicial systems across regions involved.

With inputs from WAM