The International Campaign for Freedom in the United Arab Emirates reported that 22-year-old Maryam Al Balushi has attempted suicide by cutting a vein in her hand recently, weeks after she has been held in solitary confinement.
#BREAKING
— الإمارات لحقوق الانسان (@UAE_HumanRights) March 11, 2020
UAE female detainee Maryam Al Balushi attempted suicide due to the deterioration of her psychological state after being threatened by the public prosecution office as she refused to record confessions to be published via official channels.#SaveMariam pic.twitter.com/W4B0bOVsLU
Social media users launched the hashtag #SaveMariam calling on authorities to end what they called "inhumane treatment" that may have affected her mental health leading her to try to end her life.
الإمارات: تدهورت الحالة النفسية لمعتقلة الرأي"مريم البلوشي" مما دفعها للقيام بقطع شريان يدها وذلك بعد تهديدها بتلفيق قضية جديدة لرفضها تسجيل"اعترافات"لبثها على القنوات الرسمية.
يذكر أنها نقلت لزنزانة انفرادية في #سجن_الوثبة في منتصف فبراير 2020#SaveMariam— جمال بن (@Jamal_Bin_Hejaz) March 11, 2020
Translation: "UAE: Freedom of speech prisoner Maryam Al Balushi has had a mental breakdown that pushed her to cut a vein in her hand, following threats of launching a new case against her for refusing an order to record confessions to be aired on official TV. It is worth noting that she's been transferred to solitary confinement at Wathba prison in mid-February 2020."
Al Balushi was arrested in 2015 on grounds of financially supporting a terrorist group. According to her lawyer, the accusations against her were based on a well-intended donation she made to a Syrian family during the Syrian civil war.
In 2018, Maryam made a voice recording providing more details about her case and the abuse she has been facing along with many other female detainees.
