Thirty-one men, citizens of Uzbekistan, who arrived to Abu Dhabi from Tashkent on 30 November were detained at the airport. Their passports were taken away, entry into the UAE was denied and they were not allowed to leave the airport. More than 24 hours later, some of the men, who could purchase tickets, returned to Uzbekistan. Others are returning on subsequent flights to Tashkent and Samarkand.
The total number of detained men from Uzbekistan remains unknown, as the reasons for their denial of entry into the UAE. Interviewed by Gazeta.uz, the men said their rights were violated at Abu Dhabi airport, they were treated harshly by the military personnel and kept without food for over half a day. Similar detentions reportedly occurred on other flights from Uzbekistan.
On the evening of 1 December, Gazeta.uz correspondent Mirolim Isazhonov was at Tashkent airport to speak to passengers of the Wizz Air flights departing to and arriving from Abu Dhabi. Earlier, we interviewed a Wizz Air representative at Tashkent airport.
Passengers of Tashkent — Abu Dhabi flight on 1 December.
Among those flying to Abu Dhabi were many pilgrims heading to Saudi Arabia for the Umrah pilgrimage. Most passengers interviewed were unaware of the detentions in Abu Dhabi.
Of the returning passengers, one man said he, as part of a group of about 20 people, planned to visit Dubai, Qatar and Bahrain via Abu Dhabi. The group had paid for hotels in advance, as well as tickets for a cruise ship. However, four group members were detained at the airport and sent back to Uzbekistan.
“Among us were elderly people, women and children. They were allowed to pass through immigration, but two of our companions traveling with families, me traveling alone and another of our fellow travelers were not allowed into Abu Dhabi,” he said.
Detained men at Abu Dhabi airport on 30 November. Photo was provided by one of the passengers.
The man described how, on 30 November at around 1:30 a.m., airport staff began scrutinizing their passports, summoning military personnel who confiscated his and others' passports and escorted them to an interrogation room.
“They asked why I came to Abu Dhabi. After answering their questions, I was told to wait outside while they checked my passport. I observed others passing through quickly, but Uzbekistan’s citizens, especially men, were detained. Three of my companions were also taken to the interrogation room. Some Uzbekistani pilgrims traveling for Umrah were also not allowed out of the airport,” he said.
“The way they treated us was inhumane. They gave no clear reason for our detention, only citing a ‘political situation'. Some speculated that the detentions were related to three Uzbeks suspected of [the recent] killing of an Israeli rabbi in Dubai. But to this day, we have received no precise explanation for our detention or deportation,” he added.
Another 37-year-old man who returned to Uzbekistan from Abu Dhabi shared about being held at the airport with a group of compatriots “for six hours in a cold hall”.
“A man in military uniform came to us and said, ‘We will arrange lunch for you and release you, just wait a little,' and then he left. We were relieved, but soon about 20 armed soldiers surrounded us. ‘If anyone talks on the phone or records video, we will confiscate the devices,' they warned. Later, the same man called out the names of 15 people from their passports, and soldiers led them away. About 20 minutes later, the remaining 16 of us were taken to a basement,” he recounted.
“All 31 of us were held in that basement without water or food. We managed to find our embassy’s number and contacted them. Shortly after, an embassy representatives arrived. Then, we were provided with some food and allowed to move freely within the airport. The embassy officials advised us, ‘If possible, refrain from traveling for a month or two and inform your acquaintances,'” the man said.
The passenger added that each person who returned to Uzbekistan lost between $2,000 and $3,000.
“I have been to Abu Dhabi before, but nothing like this has ever happened. We incurred significant losses — hotels, cruises and tickets were all paid for in advance. We provided all the necessary documents to the military at the airport, but they neither explained anything nor offered any help. My companions and I already had tickets for a Wizz Air return flight purchased online, so we managed to get back to Tashkent. I don’t know what happened to other passengers or how they will return,” he added.
He also said that when he left Abu Dhabi, 15 to 20 Uzbekistan’s citizens were still being held at the airport. “Another 15 were said to be in the same basement. Around 50 of our compatriots were reportedly detained in total,” he noted.
Upon returning to Tashkent, the group of men planned to file a collective complaint with the UAE embassy in Uzbekistan.
“Who will compensate us for these expenses — Uzbekistan or the UAE? Each of us incurred substantial costs. Even those heading for Umrah lost their money and came back,” he said.
Another Uzbekistani, who was detained for one day during a business trip to Dubai via Abu Dhabi and then returned to Tashkent, described the treatment they received as humiliating.
“Armed soldiers surrounded us and treated us like terrorists. Some had their phones confiscated, while others had them checked. Some were even handcuffed. We were not provided with sleeping arrangements or chairs, and people slept on the floor. In short, Uzbekistan’s citizens were severely humiliated. We were not allowed to hire a lawyer as we were held in isolation. If we did not break any laws or insult anyone, they had no right to hold us for more than a day. When we asked soldiers and airport staff why we were detained, they were rude and refused to answer. We still have no clear explanation,” he said.
He added that while citizens of other countries like Pakistan and China were detained over documentation issues, Uzbekistanis were held without any apparent reason.
“They treated us harshly, like a terrorist group, without providing any proper conditions or explanations. Only after contacting the embassy did the situation improve slightly. However, I heard that dozens of men who arrived on a previous flight were also detained. The number of detained Uzbekistanis in Abu Dhabi airport continues to grow. We don’t know whether we were officially deported from Abu Dhabi or not,” the passenger added.
On 2 December, Uzbekistan’s first deputy foreign minister Bahromjon A’loyev received the UAE ambassador Saeed Matar AlQemzi in Tashkent to discuss the detentions of Uzbekistan’s citizens. “It was agreed to take appropriate measures for the swift resolution of the situation,” the Foreign Ministry stated.
However, reasons for the detentions remain officially unexplained, and the exact number of Uzbekistanis denied entry to the UAE is still unknown.
