Indian nationals comprise close to 30% of the population of the United Arab Emirates, and Indian business people are by far the largest entrepreneurial group in the country. It is safe to say that there is not a single development, industrial, or commercial project in the UAE that is not made possible by Indian skills, supplies, and services. Being the largest, and most integral business community in the Emirates, expat Indians are naturally the most exposed to the systemic r

The risks posed by the United Arab Emirates, once only a problem for visitors and expats, have spread over the past year to endanger even people outside the country. 2019 has seen an intensification of the UAE’s Interpol abuse and the extra-jurisdictional application of the country’s vague and invasive Cybercrime laws. Meanwhile, the routine occurrence of false accusations, forced confessions, and wrongful detentions have continued at pace. Notable cases during 2019, designat

Andre stuck in prison on shameful technicality Detained in Dubai CEO Radha Stirling’s remarks on Andre Gauthier verdict today: “At the hearing today for Andre Gauthier, the judge ruled on 11 cases which had been appealed by Andre’s lawyers, and found him ‘not guilty’. However, the court claimed that 62 cases remain that were not appealed by Andre’s former lawyer within the allowed time period; so the previous judgments in these cases still stand. This is a gross miscarriage o

Robert Urwin, seen here with his grandson 67 year old Tyneside resident Robert Urwin has been held in the Ukraine after HSBC in the UAE wrongfully placed him on Interpol over a cheque he never wrote. It is simply incomprehensible that 67 year old British national Robert Urwin has been subjected to such horrendous treatment after leading international bank HSBC filed a criminal complaint in the UAE over a cheque that Urwin did not even have access to write. Mr Urwin’s wife and

Latifa's final WhatsApp exchanges after her escape from Dubai From onboard Nostromo, after Latifa’s daring escape from Dubai, she contacted Detained in Dubai CEO Radha Stirling and the two exchanged messages up until her capture. The messages showcase how determined the princess was to secure her freedom. Sheikha Latifa Al Maktoum had planned her second escape for seven years, enlisting the assistance of former French secret service agent Hervé Jaubert. Before her escape, she

Left: Victim Andre Gauthier. Right "fraudster" Mohammed Al Haj While Canadian citizen Andre Gauthier sits in a Dubai jail, inexplicably charged with the fraud he was instrumental in uncovering at Gold AE, once the UAE’s most prominent gold investment company; the alleged architect of the scam, Mohammed Abu Alhaj, has been allowed to replicate a similar investment scheme in Canada with a new business, and using a new name; potentially defrauding yet more unsuspecting investors

Mary D’Souza has been in UAE detention for over 18 months In the UAE, guilt by association is a crime. Evidence of wrongdoing is often less important than simply being available to prosecute. Such is the case for 57 year old Indian national Mary Harold D’Souza, a middle-aged housewife in detention since January 2018 for crimes about which she had no knowledge. The case is a somewhat complicated shell game in which questionable middlemen made off with millions of dirhams and l

Further anguish for British homeless shelter worker trapped in Dubai. Laleh Shahravesh was expecting to hear her fate today, only to be told by the Emirati judge that the case would be postponed, and no date given as to when. No relief for Laleh Shahravesh, or her daughter Paris, fraught with anxiety about a future without her mum. Instead, what was anticipated to be the day the court’s judgement would be issued became another painful delay in the case, as the complainant, Sa

Colonel Patrick Mercer. Former commanding officer of the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters (left). Andrew Neal (right) Colonel Mercer was the commanding officer of the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment when Andrew was serving as a private soldier. Since then, Mercer has gone on to serve as the MP for Newark, rising to the heights of Shadow Homeland Security Spokesman for the Conservative party before controversial comments about army life led to him leaving

A Dubai court sentenced Briton Asa Hutchinson in absentia for being a witness to an alleged assault. Her testimony was dismissed, and she unable to defend herself in court. The UAE frequently commits such violations of basic due process. Asa's case was highlighted to press and UK government earlier this year with support from Detained in Dubai and Priti Patel, MP: Priti Patel, MP responds to requests for support from 21 yr old Asa Hutchinson, trapped in Dubai. British nationa

If you have opened an Etisalat subscription in the UAE as a resident expat, make sure you close your account before you leave the country. Over the past six months we have noted a trend in the Emirates of people being detained over past due Etisalat bills. Even if you are just transiting through the airport, you may be apprehended, charged, and imprisoned for up to several months. Overdue bills could previously simply be paid at the airport, but around six months ago, the gov

The UAE has dropped charges against Scott Richards for promoting a charity online! Great job everyone. Scott Richards, an Australian & British National was arrested, detained and charged under the UAE´s relatively new Cybercrime Laws for supporting a charity on social media that was not registered in the UAE. Richards' case attracted international broadcast media due to the absurd nature of the charges and the fact that half of Facebook users were potentially also in breach o

Scott Richards, a British/Australian man has been in detention without charge for three weeks now, for allegedly breaching the UAE´s new charity laws (original press release below). Sadly, the Prosecuting Judge granted a further extension while police continue to investigate. He is appalling conditions and has made a request to be transferred from Al Murraqabat Police Station to a prison, though remains in police custody, under inhumane conditions. He has not been able to mee

We have received five enquiries this year from people who have been requested to send funds to a lawyer because their partner has been arrested in Dubai. The fraud usually involves a few planned stages: 1. An intimate but remote relationship is established with the potential victim, men often posting as US Military personnel. We have seen both men and women being targeted; 2. There is a promise of marriage or intention to live together and a serious commitment made; 3. Th