Woman held in Dubai with daughter after drinking wine on flight

dowie · 10 Aug 2018 at 18:11

Since @Diddums thinks I'm slacking on the RSS feed front....

Saw this pop up today on my iPhone newsfeed (where usually I get all the best stories from the Daily Fail, the sun and the mirror).

Frankly this sort of thing just highlights for me why the conservative/fundamentalist side of religions don't deserve any protection from criticism or ridicule at all no matter how much some people screech "racism". Here we have a country that on one hand tries to court tourists and on the other hand still can't detach itself from its messed up conservative interpretation of Islam (thanks mostly to the influence of its larger neighbour).

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...daughter-for-drinking-glass-of-wine-on-flight

A woman was detained in Dubai for three days with her four-year-old daughter after drinking a complimentary glass of wine on a flight from London, an NGO has said.

Ellie Holman, a dentist originally from Sweden who lives in Sevenoaks, Kent, with her English partner, Gary, and their three children, was denied water and made to clean toilets while in custody, according to the human rights group Detained in Dubai.

[...]

In a statement from the group, Holman claimed the guards tried to rip out her hair extensions and described the prison as hot and “foul-smelling”. She said the pair were made to sleep on a “filthy” mattress and she was told to clean toilets and floors.

“My little girl had to go to the toilet on the cell floor. I have never heard her cry in the same way as she did in that cell,” she said.

Now she's spent a 5 figure sum on legal fees, will be stuck in the country for possibly up to a year and I doubt her dental practice back home is going to do too well either.... all because she consumed a glass of wine that the state owned airline gave to her....

Granted it was bad luck and is unlikely to happen to any given individual but if it does then you're going to have your life turned upside down and end up blowing a load of $$$$$. Most people who go there don't even seem to realise that alcohol consumption could get them arrested, they think it is legal because it is served in hotels when, as tourists, they're actually breaking the law if they drink it and could potentially be locked up if unlucky enough to be caught.

rebel rebel · 10 Aug 2018 at 18:16

Wasn't she arrested for filming the officials?

StriderX · 10 Aug 2018 at 18:21

Don't go to Saudi Arabia.

/ez,sorted

VincentHanna · 10 Aug 2018 at 18:23

StriderX said:
Don't go to Saudi Arabia.

/ez,sorted

Dubai is part of the UAE, not Saudi.

rebel rebel said:
Wasn't she arrested for filming the officials?

Yep:

She filmed him on her phone as evidence of his behaviour before learning this was an offence

Malevolence · 10 Aug 2018 at 18:24

StriderX said:
Don't go to Saudi Arabia.

/ez,sorted

That is sage advice, but this was in Dubai.

StriderX · 10 Aug 2018 at 18:24

Malevolence said:
That is sage advice, but this was in Dubai.

Well oops, same advice applies.

Roar87 · 10 Aug 2018 at 18:28

Why do they serve wine if it's illegal? I'm confused.

Efour · 10 Aug 2018 at 18:30

****hole country.

DampCat · 10 Aug 2018 at 18:31

Roar87 said:
Why do they serve wine if it's illegal? I'm confused.

That's not why she was arrested.

Always the same thing with these stories from Dubai. "Person arrestedfor doing totally normal thing!*

*Actually they abused/filmed/swore at officer, against local laws but shhhhhh our headline is better."

jsmoke · 10 Aug 2018 at 18:32

There's a bit reason for everything.

Boycey0211 · 10 Aug 2018 at 18:32

Roar87 said:
Why do they serve wine if it's illegal? I'm confused.

There's more to this story than they're making out, I've been plastered many times in the UAE, and never had any bother.

One glass of wine on a flight does not get you in prison.

Only possible thing I can think of is that either it was many glasses of wise and she appeared drunk to officials, or at a push they could smell booze on her even if she wasn't drunk, which is far less likely.

robfosters · 10 Aug 2018 at 18:33

Sometimes when you look into these stories there’s a bit more to them, but out of all the offences committed, none deserved what her and even worse, her child was put through. It’s just barbaric.

200sols · 10 Aug 2018 at 18:35

If you read the article it says she was held for filming an official which is illegal.

dowie · 10 Aug 2018 at 18:43

If you read the article she was held for both.

dowie · 10 Aug 2018 at 18:45

Boycey0211 said:
There's more to this story than they're making out, I've been plastered many times in the UAE, and never had any bother.

One glass of wine on a flight does not get you in prison.

Only possible thing I can think of is that either it was many glasses of wise and she appeared drunk to officials, or at a push they could smell booze on her even if she wasn't drunk, which is far less likely.

Or she'd upset the wrong official...

Just because you didn't spend time in jail doesn't mean it's fine, you broke the law there too and if you'd attracted the attention of authorities there you could have the same issue as this woman.

shine · 10 Aug 2018 at 18:53

dowie said:
If you read the article she was held for both.

1st paragraph of Article and headline:

A woman was detained in Dubai for three days with her four-year-old daughter after drinking a complimentary glass of wine on a flight from London, an NGO has said.

In the middle of the article:

After landing, she was questioned by an immigration official, who said her visa was invalid and she must return to London immediately, the group said.
Holman claimed he was “dismissive and rude” when she asked if she could buy another visa, and was then questioned about her alcohol consumption, which she admitted.

This doesn't sound like a simple case of "arrested for drinking one glass of wine" as the headline and first paragraph of the article suggest. This all started because her visa was not valid.

dowie · 10 Aug 2018 at 18:57

shine said:
This doesn't sound like a simple case of "arrested for drinking one glass of wine" as the headline and first paragraph of the article suggest. This all started because her visa was not valid.

I've read the article thanks, her visa being invalid isn't the reason for her being arrested it is simply the reason for her coming to the attention of the authorities. Once the guy was apparently rude to her (I guess the attitude towards women there can be dubious) she's then filmed him (illegal) and he's asked about her alcohol consumption (also illegal)... those are the two reasons we've got for her arrest - you'll see also that she had a blood test (again related to the illegal alcohol consumption).

Yes people drink there all the time, no it isn't legal for tourists. So long as you have no grounds for the authorities to have to deal with you then no one is likely to care...

G-MAN2004 · 10 Aug 2018 at 19:05

dowie said:
Frankly this sort of thing just highlights for me why the conservative/fundamentalist side of religions don't deserve any protection from criticism or ridicule at all no matter how much some people screech "racism".

Religions don't deserve any protection from criticisms, full stop.

danlightbulb · 10 Aug 2018 at 19:06

Bring back the British Empire lets sort these crap countries out.

StriderX · 10 Aug 2018 at 19:06

G-MAN2004 said:
Religions don't deserve any protection from criticisms, full stop.

Yet when it comes down to it our government is more than happy to see it's weapons blowing 8 year old's to pieces, criticism has to start from the top.