'I may never see my husband again': Wife of ailing British businessman
Ryan Cornelius is locked in Dubai jail over banking fraud, his wife says he has been condemned to die behind bars because he cannot repay millions demanded by Emirati state Ryan Cornelius has spent 13 years in a Dubai cell with five other inmates He may have to serve 18 more years because he cannot repay millions of pounds His wife Heather says the Foreign Office has abandoned them A British property developer has effectively been condemned to die behind bars in Dubai, says h
US Veteran Stuck in Prison After Dubai “loses passport”
Afghanistan veteran and PTSD sufferer, Shannon Johnston, held in Dubai debtors prison because authorities “lost his passport”. “My father has been detained for almost a year over a bank debt he could not pay”, said Jasmyn Johnston, his 22 year old daughter, “he was told because of changes to the law that he would be released earlier this month but then they couldn’t release him because they had LOST his passport”. Radha Stirling, CEO of Detained in Dubai spoke to Jasmyn this
Stirling calls for evacuation of British prisoners in UAE
The unthinkable is happening right now in the UAE. After decades as one of the few countries in the Arabian Gulf to not be targeted in terrorist attacks, the United Arab Emirates has suffered multiple drone and missile strikes over the past several days. The Emirates’ 6 year involvement in the Saudi-led war in Yemen against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels has made the country a target for terrorist vengeance which has already left at least 3 people dead and 6 injured. The Houthi
Today: Abu Dhabi prison shakes as prisoners on frontline of drone strikes
Reports from Abu Dhabi prison confirm the building was “shaking” with loud explosions heard, frightening families of inmates including Billy Hood desperate to get him to safety. Abu Dhabi has been under attack from Iran funded Yemen’s Houthi rebels with two loud explosions that shook the prison just today, leaving inmates like Billy Hood at the forefront of the UAE’s security risk. With UAE rulers focussed on their own national security, the British government has been called
New Dubai Drug Laws for Billy Hood
2021 saw the arrest of Peter Clark and Billy Hood. Peter was arrested for “possession” when his blood tests returned positive for hashish he had consumed in Las Vegas, long before his trip to Dubai. Peter was released following widespread criticism of the harsh laws of possession that essentially render them extraterritorial in nature. Dubai Revises Antiquated Drug Laws Billy Hood was charged with trafficking, selling and possessing tiny bottles of CBD vape oil that were left
14 Years: Detained in Dubai
“It is such an honour to be approaching a decade and a half of service”, said Radha Stirling, the organisation’s founder, who has faced great triumphs and adversity over her years of defending victims in the Middle East. “The tragedies, the sleepless nights, the hackers and spies, the autocratic rulers combined with great victories, change and life changing moments. There is never a dull moment at Detained in Dubai. Stirling founded Detained in Dubai in 2008 during her advoca
UAE agent pleads guilty over US election meddling
The government of the UAE has a problem following the rules. It is almost as if they object to the very concept of the rule of law. Within the country, the legal system is notoriously arbitrary; people can be arrested when they have committed no crime and people who flout the rules can go unpunished. Almost everyone currently serving time in UAE prisons were not convicted on the basis of evidence, but through forced confessions and charade trials. The one unofficial, but a
Spanish pilot left traumatised after CID abduction from Dubai Expo
A Spanish pilot has spoken about his traumatic experience after being detained in Dubai when visiting the World Expo Santi Blánquez was visiting Dubai Expo when he was inexplicably marched into a car, blindfolded and taken to a national security prison where he was interrogated and forced to sign a document in Arabic without a translator. Dubai’s CID police reviewed his phone, surveilled his aviation photography and again, without explanation, blindfolded Santi and drove him
BBC’s ‘Inside Dubai: Playground of the Rich’ will lead to human rights violations
The BBC Programme has gone out of its way to promote Dubai to tourists and investors in spite of serious human rights violations and torture against British citizens and while MP’s call on increased travel warnings to nationals after declaring the UAE “unsafe”. Radha Stirling, founder of 14 year old human rights organisation Detained in Dubai sheds light on the issue, “Inside Dubai is a representation of every marketing endeavour made by the UAE to lure investment and tourism
Gulf in Justice Podcast with Radha Stirling and the families of Billy Hood and Albert Douglas
Gulf in Justice host and Detained in Dubai CEO, Radha Stirling, updates us on the cases of Billy Hood and Albert Douglas, featuring Colin Brazier's coverage, the demonstration in front of Dubai's largest luxury property show and the direct testimony of torture victim, Albert Douglas.
Billy Hood was detained over CBD oil left in his car by a visiting friend, while Albert Douglas has been detained over bounced cheques he did not write.
Stirling talks to the respective fam
