Five political activists and bloggers being tried in the United Arab Emirates on charges of insulting the country’s leaders refused to attend a court hearing on Sunday, protesting against alleged mistreatment. Samer Muscati is an officer with Human Rights Watch.

Samer Muscati, Human Rights Watch officer: “The activists didn’t show up. They feel that by participating in the trial, they’re actually giving the trial legitimacy. And so far, none of their concerns have been met, except for opening the trial. The evidence that had been used against the activists have actually not been shown to the activists. They don’t know exactly what the evidence is against them. Their lawyers have not had a chance to cross-examine the witnesses. They’ve been held in prison for almost six months now, and they have no right to appeal. So there’s really some fundamental problems with the quality of justice in this case, and I think that the accused realize that by showing up or not showing up, perhaps the judgment will be the same, and it’s already been written.”