The UAE has rejected characterizations by the UN’s human rights office that its wartime media restrictions amount to violations of free expression, arguing instead that the measures are a necessary response to active Iranian aggression.
Ambassador Jamal Al Musharakh, the UAE’s Permanent Representative to the UN and other Organizations in Geneva, said the OHCHR’s April 1 statement failed to account for the security context driving those restrictions. “It is regrettable that the Office has chosen to generalize these measures while not being sensitive to this context, 34 days after the ongoing and unprovoked terrorist attacks by Iran,” he said.
Since hostilities began on February 28, 2026, the UAE has barred the filming or dissemination of footage showing missile strikes, interceptions, and affected locations. Officials say the policy is aimed at preventing misinformation, protecting emergency operations, and denying adversaries intelligence on strike impacts. The UAE’s air defenses have engaged 2,038 drones, 19 cruise missiles, and 457 ballistic missiles launched from Iran since the conflict started.
Al Musharakh said the OHCHR’s framing missed the point entirely. “The UAE regrets the Office’s misdiagnosis of restrictions on the filming or dissemination of footage relating to missile strikes, interceptions, and impact locations as ‘arbitrary and a violation of freedom of expression.’ The objective of these proportionate measures, that have been implemented in accordance with UAE law, is to prevent harm and ensure the safety and security of civilians and civilian infrastructure,” he said.
The UAE’s formal response argued that circulating sensitive imagery during active attacks hampers emergency response, risks guiding further strikes, and endangers civilians who might approach sites with unexploded ordnance or falling debris. “Iran is deliberately targeting civilians and critical civilian infrastructure, and the measures adopted reflect the obligation of the UAE, under international law, to ensure the safety and protect the human rights of its civilian population,” Al Musharakh added.
Abu Dhabi maintains the restrictions align with recognized international practice on operational security during armed conflict, and faulted the OHCHR for scrutinizing the conduct of a country under attack rather than the Iranian strikes themselves, which the UAE described as violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.
