UAE puts 84 civil society members on trial again, sentencing 43 to life

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - More than 80 lawyers, academics and activists in the United Arab Emirates who had been convicted in shadowy national security trials years ago, after they had called for political reforms, had expected to soon be released from prison as, one by one, their sentences expired.

But in a move that stunned the prisoners' families, the men were all prosecuted again, the majority sentenced Wednesday to terms ranging from 10 years to life in prison, dashing their families' hopes of a long-delayed reunion.

Authorities accused the men of starting a "terrorist" organization called the Justice and Dignity Committee, and a court in Abu Dhabi sentenced 10 of them to an additional 10 to 15 years behind bars, and 43 others to life in prison. The court dismissed the cases against 24 defendants, the Emirati state news agency said, and acquitted one of them. The...