As many as 70 Britons have been taken into custody by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for taking photos and videos of Iranian drone and missile strikes.
The British nationals face up to 10 years in prison, according to a report released Sunday by two UK-based human rights organizations working with Emirati lawyers.
“Tourists, expats and cabin crew have been detained in overcrowded police cells and, and in some cases denied sleep, food and medicine, as they fall foul of draconian laws that purport to protect “national security and stability,” the report says.
“Even passively receiving an image is deemed illegal under the severest laws, which can carry a sentence of ten years in prison or fines of up to £200,000.”
Emirati laws prohibit anyone from taking or publishing photos that could “disturb public security.”
When there is an Iranian strike, those nearby are sent a text message in both Arabic and English saying: “Photographing or sharing security or critical sites, or reposting unreliable information, may result in legal action and compromise national security and stability.”
Police also reportedly approach those in the area and demand to see their phones.
Anyone caught with photos of attack sites is arrested, while those who receive such photos through apps like WhatsApp are also tracked down and arrested.
Oil-rich city-states such as Dubai have been using a heavy-handed clampdown that aims to protect their “carefully constructed brand” as safe and glamorous travel destinations.
One of the organizations, Dubai Watch, is representing eight arrested Britons, but its founder, David Haigh, says local lawyers tell him that at least 35 Britons have been detained in Dubai, and a similar number in neighboring Abu Dhabi.
Several of those arrested have been released on bail, but have had their passports confiscated so they cannot leave the UAE.
If they are expats whose work visas expire in the meantime, they will not be able to work and face homelessness, the campaigners say.
The British Foreign Office is not automatically alerted to all cases, and those arrested have been advised not to contact the British Embassy for fear it could prolong their cases.
Officials believe just five British detainees are receiving consular help for taking pictures, the campaigners stated.
Radha Stirling, a spokesperson for the second organization detained in Dubai, said “British citizens are being held in overcrowded conditions, denied medication, and pressured to sign confessions without legal representation.”
This is a serious failure of protection.
Immediate and robust diplomatic intervention is required to safeguard their welfare and secure their release, she added.
These are not criminals, but ordinary tourists, workers and residents who acted without malicious intent, she continued.
“Dubai is a corporation, a gleaming global brand desperate to keep the facade intact. So, once tourists and expats take photos of a missile intercept, or a drone strike, they become the enemy. They are arrested, vanished, threatened, charged, forced to report friends, and face years in jail,” said one of the victims who had managed to leave the UAE.
Iran has been targeting US bases and interests in the UAE since February 28, when Israel and the US began an unprovoked aggression against Iran.
Iranian officials have stated that targeting US military bases in the region constitutes “legitimate self-defense.”
Referring to Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, they said that Iran has the legal right to defend itself against “acts of aggression” by the US or the Israeli regime.
