DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates has so far escaped the upheaval that has rocked the Arab world, but the case of five activists convicted last month of insulting the country's rulers suggests the oil producing state is not immune to calls for reform.
UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan pardoned the five last month, one day after a state security court sentenced them to prison terms ranging from two to three years.
But the case had been seen as a gauge of how the oil-producing Gulf Arab state, which allows no political parties, responds to hints of political dissent after uprisings toppled other Arab leaders.
The UAE is among the world's top five oil exporters and its small local population has one of world's highest per capita incomes, estimated at $66,625 in 2011, according to the IMF.
UAE security forces have moved swiftly to quell any attempt at dissent. The five activists went through a five-month trial before they were sentenced on Nov. 27, and a civil rights group was disbanded.
The emirate of Dubai, which built itself into a finance and trade hub only for its real estate bubble to burst in 2008-09, faces possible debt refinance and investor flight risks.
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