al Wathba prison in order to examine the conditions of the women’s prison and its compliance with the minimum conditions for the treatment of prisoners32. However, since 2015, no UN Special Rapporteurs have been allowed to visit the UAE for inspections33. The COVID-19 pandemic spread through the Emirates’ prisons. Authorities took some precautions including mandatory vaccinations and sanitization. As a result of the pandemic, authorities instituted strict lockdown measures in some prisons, including by denying access to outside areas and sunlight34. There has also been inadequate access to medical care and communication35. Access to Communication and Visitation In al-Wathba, there is some access to communication through phone calls. To make a call, prisoners must purchase phone cards. If another prisoner tries to share a phone card, they might be punished with denial of access to phone calls themselves. Foreign nationals are much less likely to have access to phone calls, preventing them from informing their family or consulate of their arrest and conditions of detention36. Banning phone calls, as well as visits, is a routine punishment37. It is unclear whether people sentenced to death have access to phone calls. Not all prisoners in Emirati prisons are permitted visitors. Even for those with access to visitation, there are limitations. One such limitation is that unmarried or unrelated visitors of the opposite sex must receive permission from a prosecutor in order to visit38. In al-Wathba, visits occur behind a glass partition and are not free of charge39. Some prisons in the United Arab Emirates abandoned in-person visits as a result of the pandemic, replacing them with video visits40. This practice was ongoing in April 2022, but may have been reduced or rescinded with the lifting of some pandemic restrictions.41 Access to Educational, Religious, and Other Resources Access to resources varies by prison, but it seems the most consistently available types of resource in the United Arab Emirates are religious. In al-Wathba there is a library, but it is reportedly difficult to visit. Supervisors treat people poorly and do not encourage activities. Certain people, likely including those sentenced to death, are prohibited from visiting or borrowing books. Some people are allowed to obtain copies of the Qur’an and to attend 32 Interna@onal Campaign for Freedom in the United Arab Emirates, hEps://www.icfuae.org.uk/news/uaeauthori@es-appealed-open-womens-jail-al-wathba’s-prison. 33 GCHR et al., Joint Submission on the United Arab Emirates to the 74th Session of the UN CommiEee Against Torture, updated 2022, hEps://www.gc4hr.org/report/view/165. 34 Ibid, n 20. 35 Human Rights Watch, hEps://www.hrw.org/world-report/2021/country-chapters/united-arab-emirates. 36 Informa@on gleaned from research interviews. 37 Ibid n 23. 38 Ibid n 20. 39 Ibid n 23. 40 Ibid n 20. 41 Gulf News, hEps://gulfnews.com/uae/government/dubai-inmates-can-make-video-calls-to-their-familiesduring-ramadan-1.86887815.’