Lord Glennie

Last year he was sworn in as a judge of the Court of Appeal in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) courts before Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the absolute ruler of the emirate.

The DIFC courts govern civil and commercial disputes nationally, regionally and worldwide. 

Retired Irish barrister Bill Shipsey, who is also former chair of Amnesty International Ireland, called on Lord Glennie and other judges to sever their ties with the UAE.

“Having highly respected former common law judges, including Lord Glennie, serving on the DIFC courts no doubt enhances its reputation,” he said. “But the egregious human rights abuses committed by and on behalf of the Emirati regime should not be ignored.

“By their continued presence the judges are unavoidably contributing to the legitimisation of the regime. I would therefore respectfully urge Lord Glennie to resign.”

In recent weeks, two judges from Ireland have stepped down from their roles at the DIFC court. Frank Clarke, the country’s former chief justice, and Peter Kelly, former president of the High Court, resigned just days after being sworn in on July 27.

“I have decided to resign from the Court of Appeal of the DIFC since, as a private citizen, I do not want this controversy to disrupt my future time in retirement,” Mr Justice Kelly said.

Mr Shipsey urged others to follow their lead.

“The UAE does not have democratically elected institutions and citizens do not have the right to change their government or to form political parties,” he said.

He continued: “Emirati laws discriminate against women, migrants and LGBT individuals. Flogging and stoning, if rare, remain legal forms of judicial punishment and the UAE has retained and uses the death penalty, including for the ‘crime’ of apostasy.”