they are entitled to special diligence on the part of the competent authorities and states must organize their legal systems in such a way that their courts can meet the requirement to ensure a trial within a reasonable time. 43. Many of the defendants have been in custody for over a year, they have been denied bail without any rationale and further no timetable has been set out for the future management of the trial. In these circumstances the periods of inactivity and lack of clarity about the trial’s progress suggest that the obligation to proceed with expedition is being violated. 44. The organisations which convened this trial observation are concerned that the continued detention in poor conditions, the abuse and the lack of opportunity to appeal constitute an infringement of the right to liberty and security of the person in the most fundamental terms. CONCLUSIONS 1. The judge appears to have failed in his duty to investigate credible and serious allegations of torture of the defendants whilst in pre-trial detention. 2. The trial is proceeding in violation of internationally recognized standards of a fair trial for the reasons set out above. BACKGROUND INFORMATION 45. The political system in the UAE is not based on democracy. There are no political parties and no opportunity for citizens to vote for their preferred leader. The Federal National Council is at present a consultative body decided upon by an electorate appointed after state security checks as to their suitability. 46. The incidents leading up to this trial go back to 3 March 2011 when a group of leading academics and intellectuals signed a letter that appealed to the ruler of the UAE calling for democratic reforms in the country. The letter requested the following: 1. Election of all members of the Federal National Council by all citizens as is done in democratic nations around the world. 2. Amending the articles of the constitution relating to the Federal National Council in order to grant it full legislative and regulatory powers. In order to achieve this, the following is necessary: 1. Achieving full judicial independence and not subordinating it to the executive branch, achieving the principle of rule of law. 2. Stopping the security apparatus from intervening in all aspects of civil life. 3. Respecting rights and public and private freedoms as was agreed in international agreements and charters, principally freedoms of opinion, expression, and the press, and freedom to form associations, and lifting all restrictions that limit these. 10