UAE releases Lebanese detainees after death in custody raised allegations of mistreatment

By ABBY SEWELL

BEIRUT (AP) — A group of Lebanese citizens detained in the United Arab Emirates have been released, according to Lebanon’s foreign ministry. Lebanon’s ambassador to the UAE notified the ministry of the release of 10 Lebanese detainees who had been arrested there about two months ago, the ministry said in a statement Saturday. The release of the detainees comes after the death earlier this month of a Lebanese man who was detained in the UAE on unknown charges. A committee of family members of Lebanese citizens detained in the UAE alleged in a statement that Ghazi Ezzedine, 55, had died under torture, and rights groups raised concerns about the Emirati government’s lack of transparency regarding Ezzedine’s case and the linked detentions.