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Breaking News & Press Releases
Breaking news, press releases and expert analysis on legal issues, wrongful detentions, and travel risks in the UAE and surrounding regions. Our press releases are reported on television, radio and print media across the world.

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MAN CITY SCANDAL: 'UAE lawlessness has reached British football'
Britain has become so dazzled by Gulf billions that football clubs, politicians and major institutions are risking their reputations for a share of the money, warns international human rights advocate Radha Stirling.

Detained in Dubai
Oct 135 min read


Detained in Doha over a mannequin head romantic gesture
At Doha’s international airport, officers searched Gideon, opened his baggage and found a mannequin head. The head contained polystyrene packing materials: styrofoam pebbles. Despite being a common material, authorities treated them as suspicious and tested them for drugs.

Detained in Dubai
Oct 126 min read


Brooke George - Dubai death penalty trial continues. Case adjourned after witness 'no show'
British woman remains in notorious Bur Dubai police detention (where Lee Bradley Brown was brutally killed) until next hearing on 28 October, as her mother reports constant bright lights, interrupted calls and no promised sleep medication

Detained in Dubai
Oct 113 min read


UAE’s Extradition Crackdown Risks Turning Dubai Into a Global Arrest Hub
According to figures announced by UAE Minister of Justice Abdullah Sultan bin Awad Al Nuaimi at the United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in Abu Dhabi, incoming extradition requests to the UAE increased by 235 per cent between 2021 and 2025, while mutual legal assistance requests rose by 244 per cent. The UAE now has more than 140 bilateral judicial cooperation agreements with 53 countries.

Detained in Dubai
Sep 309 min read


Dubai court orders prosecution witnesses to appear as Brooke George remains in custody
DUBAI, 8 September 2026: The criminal trial of 23 year old British woman Brooke George has been adjourned until 21 September 2026, when the court is expected to hear prosecution witnesses in the murder case against her.

Detained in Dubai
Sep 113 min read


British/Irish veteran trapped in Dubai begs to be allowed to return home for mother's funeral
Irish/British veteran John Murphy begs to be allowed to return home for mother's funeral

Detained in Dubai
Aug 14 min read


BREAKING: 23-Year-Old British TikTok Influencer Brooke George faces death penalty in Dubai
From John Lewis Worker to Dubai Murder Accused - Detained in Dubai Calls for Fair Investigation

Detained in Dubai
Jun 254 min read


British Family Warns of Torture in UAE 'Black Site' Prison
Human rights organisation Detained in Dubai today called for the immediate safeguarding of Ryan John Michael Pepper, a British father of young children from Ashford, Kent, held in Sharjah CID detention for many months with severely limited family contact.

Detained in Dubai
Jun 113 min read


BREAKING: British father tortured in Dubai detention as family fears “he will die in custody”
British father Ryan Pepper has reported that he has been beaten, threatened and psychologically abused inside a Dubai detention facility while British officials struggled to obtain meaningful private access to him following repeated safeguarding concerns raised by his devastated family.

Detained in Dubai
May 264 min read


BREAKING Second Flight Attendant Detained in Dubai Over WhatsApp Image as Cybercrime Crackdown Escalates
Flight Attendant Detained in Dubai Over WhatsApp Image

Detained in Dubai
Apr 163 min read


Brit ‘Beaten in Jail’ - UK Replaces Visit with Video Call
FCDO criticised after cancelling welfare visit to detained Brit amid violence allegations

Detained in Dubai
Apr 34 min read


Reform Courts UAE Influence But Will It Protect British Citizens?
UAE soft power and deepening relations should help Brits but it hasn't so far

Detained in Dubai
Feb 253 min read


Twenty Years Is Enough Why It Is Time to Bring Lee Murray Home
Lee Murray has spent twenty years in a Moroccan prison. Limited access to family. Deteriorating health that now requires proper medical assessment and care. For any human being, that is an extraordinary price.

Detained in Dubai
Feb 233 min read


Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem “Tip of Iceberg” says UAE Human Rights Expert
The dismissal of Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, long-time chairman and chief executive of DP World, has been described as “the tip of the iceberg” by Radha Stirling, founder of Detained in Dubai and a recognised UAE country expert witness.

Detained in Dubai
Feb 153 min read


Extradition for Sale UAE Using Wanted Persons as Leverage
According to Stirling, the most alarming development is the UAE’s willingness to extradite British nationals to third countries with significantly worse human-rights records, without examining evidence, assessing political motivation, or protecting against torture or coercion.

Detained in Dubai
Feb 83 min read


Rising Use of UAE Laws by Ex-Spouses to Target Partners
Rising Use of UAE Laws by Ex-Spouses to Target Partners

Detained in Dubai
Feb 54 min read


Lee Andrews’ Highlights Brutal Conditions and the Hidden Punishment After “Release”
“Lee Andrews’ complaint about prison conditions echoes what we hear repeatedly. Our client Albert Douglas has just spoken publicly about being beaten, tortured and left with broken bones while imprisoned in the UAE. These are not isolated incidents.”

Detained in Dubai
Feb 43 min read


Tortured London Grandfather Pursues UAE
A 63 year old London grandfather returned home after years in hellish Dubai prison where he was beaten, tortured and subjected to egregious human rights abuses. The successful entrepreneur was released after an intense campaign led by his son, Wolfgang Douglas, and Radha Stirling, the founder of Detained in Dubai.

Detained in Dubai
Feb 33 min read


18 Years Fighting Injustice: Detained in Dubai's Unbreakable Legacy
Human Rights Leader Radha Stirling reflects on 18 years on service Detained in Dubai celebrates EIGHTEEN years of incredible work! Wow! Detained in Dubai is now 18 years old and has helped more than twenty five thousand people over its nearly two decades of operation. “It’s hard to believe it was 18 years ago that my friend and colleague was arrested in Dubai. It almost feels like yesterday”, reflects Detained in Dubai founder Radha Stirling . “I am endlessly grateful tha

Detained in Dubai
Jan 235 min read


Detained in Dubai 'grateful' so many home for Christmas
Detained in Dubai has helped hundreds of human rights victims this 2025 and will continue saving lives into the New Year.

Detained in Dubai
Jan 102 min read
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