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More than 70 human rights organisations are urging countries, companies and the public to in protest of the UAE's human rights abuses.Ìý

Their campaign, "expose the expo", slammed the exhibition as propaganda to normalise and distract from the UAE's involvement in, cruel treatment of migrant workers and track record of arbitrary arrests.Ìý

With the world fair kicking off this weekend and lasting until March 2022, grassroots groups, such as Detained International and Freedom Forward, plan to write letters to the hundreds of participants at the Expo and get them to

"People believe the spin about Dubai,"Ìýsaid human rights lawyer and founder of NGO Detained International David Haigh to °®Âþµº.

There is an image of it being "open and honest",Ìýhe said. "But they are pulling us all for fools.

"We want to educate people about what is really going on."

Join us as we bring all the excitement straight to you. Don’t miss a moment with our live coverage and exclusive features of the opening ceremony of the world's greatest cultural gathering Expo 2020 Dubai.

— Expo 2020 Dubai (@expo2020dubai)

Haigh, who spent 22 months jailed without charge in Dubai, told °®Âþµº that "there are no human rights"Ìýin the country.Ìý

The lawyer referred to the criminalisation of homosexuality in the UAE, as well as the case of American businessman Zack Shahin was is serving a 53-year sentence on false accusations of financial crimes. He said this was as evidence of the country's "hypocrisy"Ìýand "dangerous" punitive laws.Ìý

He spoke about the poet and father of four, who is imprisoned in the UAE for what Human Rights Watch described as "peaceful criticism of the government and his modest calls for human rights reform".Ìý

daughter of the ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed, also came up. It was reportedÌýearlier this year that the princess has been held captive by her father after she tried to escape from the UAE in 2018.ÌýÌý

Haigh then went on to describe in detail how migrant workers are treated in the country.Ìý

"They live like slaves in the pyramids,"Ìýhe said. "Many are bused over from Pakistan and India, have their passport taken, and end up living in squalor conditions in the extreme heat of the desert."

The Expo lies on "the graves of the people that built it".

After eight years and billions of dollars spent, the UAE is banking on the exhibition to bring glamour and prestige to a city.ÌýÌý

The Expo describes itself as a "global innovation and partnership programme [that] offers funding, support and exposure to innovators globally".Ìý

It wasÌýbuilt in the desert from "nothing",Ìýsaid Ahmed Al-Khatib, Chief Development and Delivery Officer. Now it is a sprawling urban mass the size of a city, with a number of pavilions for countriesÌýacross the world.Ìý

Some 192 nations are scheduled to attend, as well as a number of companies like Coca-Cola and celebrities such as Ellie Goulding and Will Smith.Ìý

over human rights violations in the week ahead of its opening. It also called for "all other human rights defenders, political activists and peaceful dissidents"Ìýdetained in the country to be freed.Ìý

A number of member states have ignored the call to boycott, and have a pavilion at the Expo, including Italy, France and Spain. The UK also has a pavilion.Ìý

The UAE acknowledged on Sunday that six workers died during the Expo’s construction, and 72 serious injuries were reported among the 200,0000 workers.Ìý

Haigh said that this number is probably far higher.Ìý

The lawyer said that those who do not boycott the event should "use their influenced"Ìýto conduct "closed-door diplomacy"Ìýover human rights abuse.Ìý

"[The UAE] are engaging in outrageous behaviour that subverts democracy,"Ìýsaid Sunjeev Berry, Executive Director of Freedom Forward - an organisation also involved in calls to boycott the Dubai Expo 2020 - to °®Âþµº.Ìý

Berry offered an optimistic note on the campaign, saying that it marks a "path forward"Ìýfor countries and figures to play an "ethnical and careful role" in global diplomacy.Ìý

He highlighted the hypocrisy of US President Joe Biden’s administration, who claim to be champions of human rights, but have so far remained "silence"Ìýand "devoid of the reality" in places like the UAE.Ìý

However, this is an opportunity for "the monarchy to give way to democracy"Ìý- if international pressure is applied, said Berry.Ìý

"This is just the beginning,"Ìýhe added.Ìý

°®Âþµº contacted the UAE embassy in UKÌýfor comment, but no response was received at the time of publication.Ìý