An Australian man held on a spying charge in the United Arab Emirates, where he was allegedly tortured in prison, will arrive back to Sydney today, according to his brother.
Naim Aziz Abbas, a 65-year-old Iraqi-born Australian citizen, was arrested in October 2017, accused of passing on secrets to Qatar.
In November 2018, a UAE court gave him a five-year prison sentence, prompting his family to call on Prime Minister Scott Morrison to intervene.
Now, Mr Abbas’ Sydney-based brother said he is coming home.
“I cannot express my feelings right now,” Adil Abbas told SBS News through tears on Friday morning.
“We have missed him for two years. We thank god for this outcome.”
Adil said he was phoned early on Friday morning by a case officer from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) with the good news.
Naim Aziz Abbas Source: Supplied
“I give DFAT my eternal thank you,” Adil said.
DFAT has been contacted for comment.
Adil said his brother was given a pardon to coincide with the holy Muslim month of Ramadan.
The UAE has pardoned prisoners during or ahead of Ramadan on several occasions before.
“We heard at the beginning of Ramadan the UAE issued a pardon, but we were not sure if it was for my brother,” he said.
Adil said he had spoken to his brother several times a week since his arrest, where they discussed details of the case and his treatment in prison.
He said his brother had applied for a job in Qatar - with whom UAE has a fraught relationship - which aroused suspicion with authorities.
Adil said once his brother was taken to prison, the situation escalated quickly.
There, Naim was “subjected to torture, verbal and physical abuse … and was tricked into signing a false confession,” Adil told SBS News in May last year.
Share
