Restrictions on speech and protest in the United Arab Emirates are complicating UN approval of an Amnesty event at COP28 demanding the release of Emirati political prisoners, the group's secretary-general says. Speaking on the sidelines of the United Nations climate talks in Dubai, Agnes Callamard says the obstacles hampering activist actions within a UN-managed Blue Zone at the COP venue are slightly larger than previous years despite no changes to the guidelines. "The number of negotiations and hurdles to me indicate that the interpretation of the (UN) rules are largely driven by the (UAE) environment in which we operate," she tells reporters. Callamard spoke after a planned Amnesty event demanding the release of Emirati rights activist Ahmed Mansoor and other political detainees was twice delayed pending approval by the UN body managing the climate talks. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES