Details of United Arab Emirates' human rights abuses at CarlyleExposed.org - a new website about the Carlyle Group

WASHINGTON, DC- As nations around world recognize human rights day today, the big money partnership of the Government of Abu Dhabi and global buyout firm the Carlyle Group is undermining respect for human rights.

"As Carlyle profits and political connections grow Abu Dhabi's wealth and influence, pressure diminishes to improve human rights practices in the UAE," said Stephen Lerner, Director, SEIU Private Equity Project. In its 2006 UAE Country Report, the U.S. State Department said the government's "respect for human rights remained problematic."

"Carlyle's 'see-no-evil' approach to its business dealings with Abu Dhabi undermine efforts to improve respect for human rights there. Human rights is yet another area where Carlyle refuses to take responsibility for its actions," Lerner added.

Ironically Carlyle co-founder David Rubenstein is scheduled to spend Human Rights Day in the UAE, where he is a scheduled speaker at the SuperReturn Middle East conference in Dubai.

In September, Carlyle announced the Mubadala Development fund of the Government of Abu Dhabi paid $1.35 billion for a 7.5% ownership stake in Carlyle. Driven by rising oil prices, the falling dollar, and political opportunism, huge sovereign wealth funds, such as the UAE's $650 billion Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, are making an increasing number of big deals, buying stakes in leading American companies.

At the time of the announcement, Carlyle Co-founder David Rubenstein said, "We feel this is an affirmation of the global business model we have created."  He added, "We are honored to have them as long term partners."But Carlyle's embrace of Abu Dhabi raises serious concerns given the human rights practices of the United Arab Emirates. The chairman of the ADIA, Sheik Khalifa, is also the president of the UAE, a federation of seven semi-autonomous emirates.

While the 420,000 citizens of the emirate benefit greatly from oil revenues and are worth about $17 million apiece, the country is supported by nearly a million migrant workers who often labor in abject poverty and who work without many legal protections.  Multiple governmental and non-governmental bodies have reported numerous human rights problems in the UAE including:

  The UAE takes advantage of immigrant workers, paying them low wages and maintaining authority through threats of deportation. According to the U.S. State Department's country report, workers who strike can be deported, and the UAE's Ministry of Labor issued a directive to ban employment of workers who instigate strikes.
  As of 2006, the UAE was failing to comply with minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking.
  A 2005 study by UAE University reported that as many as 66% of all women permanently residing in the UAE have been subjected to domestic abuse and courts have found that men have the positive legal right to beat their wives as a form of discipline.
  In November 2005 Abu Dhabi police arrested 26 men --13 citizens and 13 others -- for alleged homosexual activity. Government officials reportedly said the men were transferred to the ministry's Social Support Center and would "be given the necessary treatment, from male hormone injections to psychological therapies" after their trial. Twelve of the 13 Abu Dhabi nationals involved were later sentenced to five years in prison; the other was given six months, all for immoral activities.

More details of the UAE's human rights record at CarlyleExposed.org, a new SEIU website launched today with news and information about the Carlyle Group and its business practices.

About Human Rights Day
According to the United Nations website, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 10, 1948. The date has since served to mark Human Rights Day worldwide. For more information about Human Rights Day, visit http://www.un.org/events/humanrights/2007/.

The UDHR sets out a broad range of fundamental human rights and freedoms to which all men and women, everywhere in the world, are entitled, without any distinction. The full text of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is at http://www.unhchr.ch/udhr/lang/eng.htm. 

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