Since the US-Israel war on Iran began, the United Arab Emirates has tightened its laws on those staying there.
Missiles and drones have hit the likes of Dubai as some tourists and British expats began to leave the region to flee.
But there is thought to be up to 70 UK nationals now locked up in the UAE due to reportedly ‘filming drone and missile attacks’.
Radha Stirling, Founder of Detained in Dubai, has explained that this comes as the UAE has implemented an extensive cybercrime enforcement campaign.
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It’s no secret that the region has stricter laws for those living and staying there than areas of the west but it’s reported that some have been detained for posting things privately, not just publicly on social media – unaware of the severity.
Cybercrime arrests
Campaign groups have accused the UAE of trying to protect its ‘carefully constructed brand’ as this safe, glitzy travel destination.
The British embassy previously issued a warning to expats there to not take pictures or share images of Iranian missiles. But it’s now reported that police cells are now overcrowded with arrests.
Dubai Watch CEO David Haigh told the Mail on Sunday he is currently representing eight arrested Brits with local lawyers claiming 35 Britons have been detained in Dubai and that there’s similar numbers in Abu Dhabi.
And Stirling claims people are getting ‘hunted down’.
She wrote in an X article: “A British man in his 60s was charged alongside 20 others under cybercrime laws in connection with missile-related footage, demonstrating that tourists are being directly affected.”
Stirling also reported a ‘young British citizen’ was detained in Dubai after ‘privately sharing a photograph with colleagues while asking if it was ‘safe to walk through the airport’’.
Cybercrime laws
Stirling wrote: “Since the outbreak of the Iran war in the Gulf, the United Arab Emirates has implemented an extensive cybercrime enforcement campaign targeting individuals who filmed, shared, or discussed events linked to missile and drone activity.”
The legal expert said her team have received reports of ‘more than 100 individuals currently in detention’.
“While the exact figure remains unclear, the true number is likely to be in the several hundreds.”
Those in the area have been warned by the British embassy: “Photographing or sharing security or critical sites, or reposting unreliable information, may result in legal action and compromise national security and stability.”
Under the strictest laws, it’s deemed illegal to even passively receive an image with the possibility of 10 years in jail or a fine. Under the Federal Decree-Law No.34 of 2021 on Combatting Rumours and Cybercrimes, forwarding a message, passing on a rumour or filming and posting footage from the site of a drone attack can lead to prosecution.
Article 52 lays out a minimum one-year sentence and a AED100,000 fine for publishing/resharing false news or misleading content that contradicts official statements. And penalties can double if it incites public opinion, spreads panic, or harms public security or the national economy.
‘A pattern’ among cases
Looking at the cases so far, Stirling’s team found a ‘consistent pattern’ as she claimed:
“· Individuals are being detained merely for taking photos or videos, even where the material was not shared or published
· Private messages to family and friends are triggering arrests
· Forwarding or interacting with content can result in detention, even where the individual did not create it
· In some cases, simply receiving an image and failing to delete it has reportedly led to arrest
· Cybercrime cases are being escalated to national security authorities in Abu Dhabi
· Many individuals were unaware their actions were prohibited, with numerous cases relating to incidents that occurred before widespread warnings were issued
· Enforcement appears inconsistent and, in some cases, arbitrary, with similar conduct resulting in different outcomes
· Police are reportedly approaching individuals in public spaces and requesting access to their phones, with arrests made where relevant images or videos are found
· Following incidents such as drone strikes, missile activity, explosions, or fires, authorities are reportedly identifying individuals present in the area, compiling lists, and approaching them days later for questioning and device inspection, in some cases up to nine days after the event.”
An FCDO spokesperson told LADbible: "We are providing consular assistance to a small number of British nationals detained in the UAE in connection with this issue, and our Ambassador is engaging with the Emirati authorities about their cases."
Jess Battison