Detained in Dubai - Information and warnings
Detained in Dubai is an organisation founded in 2008 by Radha Stirling a leading human rights advocate, crisis manager and policy consultant, focusing on the UAE and the wider Middle East.
Stirling is a Criminal & Civil Justice Specialist, Expert Witness, Speaker, Founder of Due Process International, Detained in Dubai, IPEX Reform and Gulf Investment Monitor Stirling also hosts the internationally acclaimed Gulf in Justice Podcast hosting clients, celebrities and politicians.
Detained in Dubai is an organisation that campaigns against judicial abuse in the UAE and Gulf region on behalf of expats and tourists, its founder and CEO, Radha Stirling, is the leading international commentator on the justice systems in the Gulf, a pioneer advocate for reform of Interpol, and a sought after analyst for Western policy makers.
Detained in Dubai is considered the international authority on UAE law. “We consult to governments internationally on UAE legal issues and assist media outlets in the provision of information from our central repository of statistics and data.
We have a team and network of highly experienced advocates, consultants, and negotiators to assist you or your company with legal matters, whether you are in the UAE or abroad.
Our top priority is helping clients secure the best possible outcome to complex UAE legal issues, regardless of how the odds are stacked against them.”
A number of copycat websites have sprung up, using the same or similar names, promising similar service, even trying to associate themselves to the organisation. Please be aware that most of these websites are run by criminals or individuals who have no real experience or history helping people. There are also a number of frauds on the internet including people who pretend to be lawyers, creating fake law firm websites to prey on victims of injustice. We have uncovered groups of local expats in Dubai who seek out victims, promising results, but only digging them into a deeper hole or else, taking money never to be heard of again.
On other occasions, victims have been extorted, threatened and blackmailed by such individuals who may come across as credible, unless thoroughly investigated. In some instances, the “service provider” gathers information about their client, then uses that information to blackmail them, threatening to release confidential information. In other cases, the service providers have threatened to open additional police cases against their client, if their client does not pay funds. Some of these providers have offered to work on a victim’s case for free with an ultimate plan of recovering funds later through unlawful means.
We are working with witnesses, the media and authorities to stop the exploitation of people in already hellish circumstances.
13+ year old Detained in Dubai is the leading and most experienced advocacy group in the history of the UAE and wider gulf, having helped thousands of clients. A selection of video testimonials can be seen here:
In 2010, Ms Stirling expanded her work beyond the UAE, dealing with both civil and criminal cases internationally. She has provided expert witness testimony in several high profile extradition and arbitration cases, while lobbying for Interpol reform.
Given her breadth of experience in financial disputes, Ms Stirling also provides expert risk assessment for investors and advice on business strategies in the Gulf. She has actively negotiated on behalf of corporate clients and investors, assisted in recovering stolen assets, and intervened to secure their freedom from unlawful detention.
Ms Stirling frequently appears in international media to discuss human rights and legal issues in the Middle East and abroad. She recently addressed the United Nations and worked closely with Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. Ms Stirling has provided policy advice to both the Australian, the US, Canadian and British governments, and is a frequently invited speaker on foreign policy issues related to the Gulf states and broader region.
Her high-profile media campaigns and legal work have influenced the release of countless high profile prisoners in the UAE, notably David Oliver, Richard Lau, Ellie Holman, Matt Joyce and Marcus Lee, Safi Qurashi, Scott Richards, Conrad Clitheroe, Gary Cooper, Farzan Athari, Billy Barclay, Jamie Harron, André Gauthier in the Gold AE fraud, Laleh Shahravesh, Derrin Crawford, Andy Neal, Peter Clark, Sheikha Zeynab, and more. Stirling acts in a number of cross jurisdictional commercial litigations including Oussama El Omari, Karam Al Sadeq, Jihad Quzmar, Dr Mohammed Haddad, Dr Khater Massaad, and Najib Khoury.
Ms Stirling publishes regular articles and reports, often covering human rights issues, political prisoners, Middle Eastern finance and debt laws, social media laws, cybercrime laws and Interpol red notice abuse. Stirling’s articles and op-eds have been published in major news outlets, including The Times of Israel, Haaratz, the Independent and Inside Arabia. To see some of Radha’s extensive media coverage, visit www.radhastirling.news or Radha Stirling.com
Radha has worked extensively at parliament level and closely with Senators and MP’s. Her work at Australian Parliament ensured provisions to safeguard citizens against human rights violations were included in their extradition treaty with the UAE. Stirling hosts MP’s on her Gulf in Justice Podcast, and works closely with the US State Department, Senators, Congressional representatives and law enforcement personnel.
Stirling acted for HRH Sheikha Latifa Bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Hervé Jaubert which led to an international media campaign and a United Nations investigation into her disappearance from a US yacht in international waters. Stirling addressed the United Nations and continues to make submissions on behalf of aggrieved clients.
Stirling delivered a speech at a Frontiers of Freedom conference in November 2018, focussing largely on the increased influence of Saudi Arabia and the UAE into American politics and media, questioning whether these US “allies” are acting in the best interests of the States. The OffshoreAlert conference hosted Stirling as a speaker who presented the inherent risks of investing in the UAE, to an audience of high profile lawyers, investors and financial advisors. An Interpol expert and veteran, Stirling also regularly addresses an Interpol reform group in Washington DC that guides policy at the highest level.
Stirling’s work has become so high profile that she and her clients have been the target of UAE led intelligence and security attacks via Israeli spy companies.
Since founding Detained in Dubai in 2008, Radha Stirling has held various senior roles in law firms in the Middle East and was most recently described by Daily Beast as running "an extraordinarily slick - and convincing - PR campaign ostensibly designed to free her [Princess Latifa]".