A British flight attendant and a tourist are just two of around 70 Brits in prison in prison facing serious charges in the UAE for ‘cyber crimes’ relating to photographing, filming or sharing drone or missile strikes, the Daily Mail has learned.
The air steward, a 25-year-old man who works as cabin crew for a local airline, was arrested for simply posting a photo of a drone strike at Dubai Airport and asking colleagues on a private WhatsApp group: ‘Is it safe to walk through the airport?’
Another of the British detainees is a 60-year-old holidaymaker from London, who took a photo of an air strike, and despite deleting it when asked to by a policeman in the street, was still arrested.
The news adds to a ‘climate of fear’ among those expats nervously remaining in Dubai, fearful not only of arrest, but also what the future holds for them as the glittering malls fall silent and foreign businesses pack up and leave.
The cabin crew member, who is a resident of Dubai, but originally from Thamesmead, south-east London, has been held in a crowded, stinking jail cell for more than 20 days since his arrest on March 7, the day the airport first came under attack.
Radha Stirling, CEO of Detained in Dubai, which helps people who have fallen foul of the UAE’s Orwellian laws, said that the young man, and at least two other Brits, now face having their cases being taken over by the authorities in neighbouring Abu Dhabi, effectively being treated as federal crimes against ‘national security’, with much heftier sentences.
The UAE warned citizens and visitors against photographing, filming, publishing, or circulating images and videos of incident sites or damage resulting from the Iranian attacks, with violations carrying a minimum of one year in prison and fines starting at £20,000.
But those sentences rise to two years and £40,000 in cases deemed to incite panic or harm national security. It’s believed the number of people detained overall is at least 160.
The Palm Jumeirah Hotel in Dubai was damaged by an Iranian strike on the first day of the war, which caused a fire on its exterior
Smoke pours from a fuel tank near Dubai Airport on March 16 after it was hit by a drone
Of the cabin crew member, Ms Stirling added: ‘He’s possibly facing this escalation to Abu Dhabi, along with others.
‘Most lawyers don’t want to take on these cases, because as soon as they involve national security, the lawyers have no access and they don’t like to get “dirty”.
‘So people are really struggling to get legal representation, and the lawyers that are willing to take it on are charging extortionate amounts, three, four times their usual rates.’
Ms Stirling said that for those expats remaining in Dubai, the ‘blinkers have come off’ in recent weeks about the nature of the country they have settled in.
‘I feel a lot of people have woken up and realised that actually they do live in an authoritarian Arab state, with very different laws and norms from the UK, and that’s worrying them.
‘Also the laws are very arbitrarily enforced. There are influencers who have been given a slap on the wrist for posting drone or missile footage, while the ordinary people get slung in jail.’
While the malls of Dubai are suffering with massively reduced footfall, this week Primark bucked the trend and opened its first store in the UAE at the massive Dubai Mall amid excited crowds.
But the marked contrast between the near-hysteria of the largely migrant workers gathered outside the shop and the deserted acres of shopping space elsewhere in the mall, led some to suspect stage management.
Jebel ALi Port, right next to the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai, caught fire after being hit by debris from an intercepted drone
‘The people were all waving UAE flags and getting super excited about what’s a bargain basement British high street store, and hardly prestige,’ said one resident.
‘It smacked of a flash-mob, or a propaganda exercise to ram home the message that business is booming, when it very definitely is not.’
Entrepreneurs in Dubai echoed the sentiment.
One cafe owner, who has five branches across the UAE, said that small businesses are suffering. In the wake of the war, comparing it to the effect of Covid.
In huge ‘shopping cities’ such as Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates, (which has its own full-size ski slope with artificially-made snow) shops are obliged to stay open during working hours, despite the minimal footfall, meaning overheads continue amid the silence.’
We have put some of our staff on leave for now, and said they can go home while we keep their visas open as it’s easier for us to keep the staff than to rehire,’ he said.
But the reality is, with reduced flights and hiked fares, those low income workers are stuck, unable to simply fly home on a whim.
‘We are doing our best but we have to think of the long-term strategy so we are trying to survive, while doing our best to take care of staff if and where we can, but it’s extremely hard,’ he added.
An events manager said times are tough for the industry which sees everything from sports events and concerts to business conferences running through the year, with a sudden spike in insurance premiums to travel to the UAE and risk assessments making upcoming events increasingly costly, if they happen at all.
The British expat has been in the UAE during tough times, including the 2008 crash and Covid but he says there are always the same industries on the receiving end.’
Many in the industry have had incomes cut to zero overnight,’ he said. ‘Clients panic, cut all the budgets and simply massively reduce or stop salaries altogether.
‘Meanwhile our license fees, rent, schooling, healthcare fees, and daily living expenses remain the same.’
The boss of one fashion atelier in the city said that of the 20 staff, 16 have been put on unpaid leave already.
‘We have fewer events, or people have simply left for now, cancelling their orders or putting them on hold,’ she said. ‘I can’t afford to pay people while I can’t see when the income stream will return.
‘Many of my customers are ordering gowns for events and weddings, and that is all on hold, so we need to do what we can to survive. The rent still needs to be paid and all of our other business overheads, so it’s really hard for all of us.’
The complexities of the situation means the workers, all of whose visas are tied to their jobs, still have rent to pay if they are not given housing, while having zero income.
British financial advisor Keren Bobker, based in Dubai, posted her frustrations on LinkedIn this week, citing UAE law and how companies are flouting rules aimed to protect staff.
‘I am cross. Cross with many UAE companies that are using the current situation to treat their staff poorly. No employer is permitted to change a contract, cut a salary, or force staff to take unpaid leave, because they have poor cashflow management,’ she wrote.
‘I fully understand that a few companies have seen their income drop in the last couple of weeks but that is not a reason to be bullies. Or to break UAE law. Did they learn no lessons over Covid?
‘This is not a situation where you can claim ‘force majeure’ [a contractual clause freeing parties from liability in times of war].
‘You cannot just break a contract. Companies should be grateful that UAE law does not permit them to be named. Employers need to do better. They have a duty of care as well as an obligation to follow UAE labour law.’
Another British resident, a mother-of-two, now ‘sheltering’ back in the UK, pointed out the knock-on effects from the sudden exodus of expats.
‘The loss of employment affects the schools, people can’t afford them, rent, bank loans – it’s a house of cards already collapsing. No-one is hiring and that’s not good,’ she said.
‘Rents are dropping, but you wouldn’t know it from the ads. They are still asking for sky-high rents online, but they will negotiate a minimum of 20 per cent off when you get in touch, because they are desperate.
‘And if you want to sell – forget it.’