| Warning to travellers over Dubai drug laws...officials 'are paid bounty for each arrest' |
[Mar. 24th, 2008|05:34 pm] |
The Times cover Cat's story in detail, with surprising new revelations being published for the first time.
PASS IT ON.
If anyone has harbored any doubt about the validity of his case up to this point, have them read this.
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| This Sunday: Pass it on! |
[Mar. 12th, 2008|05:48 am] |
 
![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) lydiamorgan and the massive concocted a benefit for Diz...little did they, or anyone else, know that he would be able to show up to it in person. Sneaky bugger and his great escape.
The proceeds from this event are going toward the outstanding legal debt which he is faced with in his newly acquired freedom. He's been through harrowing circumstances and although he's taking everything very well, the last thing he needs to worry about right now is massive debt.
It's £6, and at an awesome venue...stop by for a bit and welcome ynl home. He's squishy!
I'll be there to carry him home afterwards. |
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| “Half a calamity is better than a whole one” - Lawrence of Arabia |
[Mar. 3rd, 2008|05:03 pm] |
The DA has dropped all charges.
Cat is coming home. No criminal record, his name cleared, and he's a free man. A poor man, but free! We expecting him on a plane back to London within twenty-four hours.
The BBC went to Dubai to cover this story, and interviewed key officials in the case. The reporter and our attorney are saying that damage control is underway: many prisoners are about to be released, and they're promising reforms which could reduce these sorts of arrests happening to future travelers. Not holding my breath, but if this does transpire, then we've basically achieved everything we set out to do from the beginning, and that's a fair bit of awesome.
It's all a bit sudden, and I'm still trying to get my head around it.
You guys have a fucking lot to be proud of. The media attention we've drawn from our collective efforts has resulted in not only Cat's release, but that of other prisoners and the subsequent changes that are under review. That's a pretty serious accomplishment. Today you can look in the mirror and know you've made the world a better place, and I sincerely hope karma gives you the reach-around for your efforts. You guys rock.
I never thought I'd see the day where I said the internet restored my faith in humanity. This is the geek equivalent of an 80's movie ending. Who's throwing the prom, then?
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| Fun campaigning stuff: put that outrage to good use! |
[Feb. 29th, 2008|03:43 am] |
So Dubai is whoring itself out to the UK at a major expo in Earls Court this weekend. I bring you The Dubai Show!
That's right! An entire festival devoted to sucking in more workers and investors, brought to you by the lovely folks who gave you this, this and this, amongst many other classic hits!
You can help
From Radha:
We are in need of a Team Leader to attend the Dubai Show in Earls Court, London this weekend. It will involve handing out press releases in order to raise awareness, further the campaign & highlight the extremity of the situation to the UAE authorities and international press. If you can lead the team, it would simply involve arranging to meet volunteers at a certain time with printouts. Please contact me urgently if you can help in this way.
Let's put a stop to this at the source! Anyone who's up for flyering the event get in touch with Radha at radha@futurecorp.co.uk
Pass it on! |
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| BBC 2 |
[Feb. 21st, 2008|03:53 pm] |
jaketherat , radha_stirling and Fair Trials International went on the Jeremy Vine show to talk about Cat...listen to the show here (35 minutes in)
You guys were awesome!
After the music break they took some calls, and some of them are *highly* amusing... worth listening until the end of the programme ;) |
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| Important update: prison, charges and legal defense |
[Feb. 14th, 2008|09:00 pm] |
On February 10th, Cat was moved to Al Wathba Central Prison, before
test results were even concluded on the mystery .003 grams dirt that
the arresting officials allege is ‘hashish’.
The melatonin (the possession of which being what he was originally
held for) and his urine were given a second test. The results were
again negative according to the German Consulate.
The dirt was finally processed, after two weeks of
‘testing’. The result is positive according to Cat’s
attorney though the matter remains under investigation due to
incorrectly followed evidence procedures and he has still not been
officially charged.
Authorities have called on another extension for 7 days. At the
conclusion of this 7 day period, an extension will most likely be
sought for a further 30 – 40 days at which point a date for the
hearing should be arranged and will cause further delays. At such
time, his council will begin negotiations with the prosecution to drop
the case and urge for a swift deportation. If he is not successful,
Cat will have to wait a few more days for a preliminary hearing. Even
if successful, we are unsure how long it will take to deport him. If
unsuccessful, he faces 4 years imprisonment. Cat will of course be
pleading innocent at this trial.
Cat will remain in Al Wathba Prison. Al Wathba Prison is notorious for
its human rights abuses including executions, lashings, overcrowding.
With lice infested inmates competing for space on the concrete floor:
http://www.phaseloop.com/foreignprisoners/prison-abudhabi.html
http://www.uaeprison.com/victims_injustice-uae.htm
We need to give Cat the best change of a favourable ruling at the
trial as we can. We need to raise £25,500 urgently for his legal
representation. The money will be held in trust by a well known law
firm in Dubai who are partners of the UK solicitors monitoring the
case. It will be released to his advocate in instalments. If there are
any changes in circumstances and we no longer need the full
£25,000 (unlikely at this point), we will refund all leftover
collections proportionally. As of 14/02/08, we have raised
approximately 20% and appreciate the amazing response so far.
Please circulate this most important appeal for financial assistance.
Related Websites and background information:
http://www.thetruthaboutdubai.com
http://www.freediz.com
We need your help: we are asking for your donations--whatever you can
give--of which 100% of proceeds will go toward his legal defence fund.
Without a lawyer, Cat will very likely have no option but to plead
guilty, and we are at a critical stage in this process. Cat pleaded
with us not to let him get lost in the system and we need to do
everything we can to keep prevent this happening. Without legal
representation, he doesn’t stand a chance.
Thank you so much for your help, we couldn’t do this without
your benevolence and generosity.
DONATE NOW
If you have any questions about the fund, please feel free to contact:
dubai@futurecorp.co.uk
Help circulate this message of blogs, websites, journals etc. |
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| Dubai responds...finally |
[Feb. 11th, 2008|07:15 am] |
I guess they had to, really.
Tourists Get Drug Warning
Listen to this:
“These laws help discourage anyone from carrying or using drugs,”
Backpeddle faster? Where was this information on any of your websites before these innocent people made the fatal decision to visit your country?
If you were in any doubt that these recent arrests were not for the purposes of setting a cruel example, there you go. FIRST HAND. |
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| Very important development |
[Feb. 9th, 2008|07:45 pm] |
When I spoke to Cat yesterday, he told me that there was a rumour going around that a bunch of detainees at the airport facility (where he's at right now) were about to be transferred to the prison, which is 40 miles outside the city in the middle of the desert. They have decided to test his urine again, and we're still awaiting the drug test results, so surely they wouldn't move him to the prison? He seemed to think otherwise, but couldn't go into detail, inferring that there is some really suspicious stuff going on.
The rumours were correct: Cat is being transferred to central prison, tomorrow morning. He called me just now to tell me this, and that he will not be able to speak to me while he is in there.
This is what is of particular concern:
His test results won't even be available until Monday. Why would they be moving him to the prison before the results are even back?
...unless they've already decided that he his guilty.
Pretty much our worst fears are becoming reality.
Minor offenders have their own section of the prison, but recently two Italians were locked up with the felons because they ran out of room (read: rapists and murderers in a prison with a well publicized AIDS surge).
Needless to say I am gutted and I am very, very scared. We need to get these people out of Dubai. |
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| Moving forward |
[Feb. 9th, 2008|08:29 am] |
BBC article with his interview. We made the front page :)
Currently we're on the front page for the Middle East section, too.
He's gonna be so grumpy when he finds out :D
If you missed it, my interview with the BBC can be heard here (at around 38 minutes). |
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| *nervous* |
[Feb. 8th, 2008|08:05 pm] |
Fair Trials and I are live on the BBC World Service in 30-45 minutes (8.30-45 pm GMT), if you have a radio handy. I will try not to sound like a tit. You can also listen on the web if you go to the BBC radio home page.
In the UK: Sky ch 0115, Freeview ch 710 or AM Radio 648 Khz
In LA you can get it on KPCC Radio FM 89.3 Mhz |
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| ....con't |
[Feb. 8th, 2008|04:46 pm] |
List is increasing.
Also, a new write up at Coilhouse
And a cool video made by one of his mates at work. Lol. |
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| In the news |
[Feb. 8th, 2008|07:17 am] |
Interview with Diz on the BBC World Service and Radio 4, if you can tune in (which should be re-run throughout the day). Should be on the website soon, as well.
Print
BBC
Daily Record
The Register
The Daily Mail
Hampstead and Highgate
The Mirror
Sun
Evening Standard
Dubai City Magazine
Metro
The Independent (not online)
Online
BBC
Moli.com
Warren Ellis
Metro
Facebook1
Facebook2 (I can has url?)
Biorequiem
Chris Keane
BoingBoing
Travelers Max
Opednews
Matt Moran
The Atlantic
Something Awful
Andy Smith
Newsvine
Harderfaster
I'll update as more stories come to my attention. I'm definitely leaving out a few, and if you know of anything else post here and I'll add it to the list.
Everything has gone exactly as we wanted it to, and many other cases are coming forward. Some of these stories are truly abhorrent: people losing their homes and their lives being destroyed by similar false allegations. You are basically forced to plead guilty, or your case will never be seen, and then you are wholly reliant of the benevolence of the monarch for any kind of justice.
Why is this? What could Dubai possibly have to gain, either financially or in reputation, by prosecuting innocent people?
We're hearing from a number of sources that police officials are given rewards in return for prosecutions, as part of the new crackdown on drugs in Dubai. This is a difficult thing to prove, as it's obviously quite cloak and dagger, but would account for why travelers are being singled out and prosecuted for seemingly nothing.
We hope that the bad press Dubai is getting will inspire the men in power there to change these policies, but so far they haven't been responsive. We're still holding out hope that they will do the right thing and let these innocent people go.
Edit: German paper BILD is picking up the story |
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| Diz on tee vee |
[Feb. 6th, 2008|05:18 pm] |
Important question!
Does anyone have any video footage of Diz?
He hates having even his photo taken, I know, but a few news organizations have asked about it so I thought it wouldn't hurt to ask.
Updates later today. Mostly good. |
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| Good news. See, I'm not a total downer :) |
[Feb. 4th, 2008|02:31 am] |
Some progress has been made in our campaign already, and the Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing (DTMC) in Dubai has responded to our communication with cooperation:
"We are taking immediate steps to include relevant information on our website."
This is fantastic, because now travelers can have easy access to information they need to stay out of the sort of trouble we're in.
We're still faced with the task of getting Diz out, but at least his detention has not been totally in vain and others will benefit from his experience.
2000 signatures: massive thanks to everyone. Internet friends FTW! |
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[Jan. 31st, 2008|10:37 pm] |
Spoke to Mr Diz on the phone just now.
He's in very good spirits, being in the company other dozens of others in his situation at the prison. He told me that many of his new friends have been there awaiting charges for months...one guy in particular, who has been there ten months, just had his seventeenth birthday.
The problem is, he tells me, they just make up the rules as they go along. There is no procedure to follow, and this is why so many are just sitting in purgatory without so much as knowing what they're charged with. They lose their jobs, their homes, their lives.
It's not very reassuring to know that this seven days has the potential to turn into a year, and we need to act fast. We're putting a petition and press release together, and hopefully we can get Diz and the others deported and home safe.
Diz will receive your letters on Sunday, and I'm continuing to send them to Scotty as they come in. Please keep them coming. Even though our conversation could be measured in terms of seconds, he wanted to make sure you all knew that he was very grateful.
Keep those stories coming. Website goes live tonight, and we begin sending our press releases.
dubaicampaign@gmail.com |
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| Update on Dubai-gate |
[Jan. 31st, 2008|04:23 am] |
Well.....that was all a bit amazing :)
I am both humbled and eternally grateful for everyones interest and support. I would like to publicly thank Scott, Warren Ellis, Mark from boingboing, Nadya Lev and everyone who has flooded my inbox with letters of support, advice and correspondence to Diz*.
The only update I can give you on his individual situation is that we have discovered that this seven day extension they've granted themselves to investigate him could potentially turn into a much longer one. We've found travelers who have been in jailed for up to eight months before charges were filed. We will continue to be optimistic, but need to adjust our strategy for the long term.
What we are doing:
This campaign (yeah, I guess you can call it that, now) has taken a new and critical turn: After days of research, we have unearthed many, far worse situations involving foreigners in Dubai prisons who do not have the money, resources or actively involved persons that we do. We are going to bat for them now, as well as those who, like Diz, are simply in purgatory awaiting charges. I would like to make it very clear that, although obviously my primary objective is to get Diz home and safe, we are working to secure real changes that will have far reaching effects on all travelers languishing in Dubai detention centres and prisons. Our objective is to work with Dubai officials on this issue, in addition to educating airlines, tourist boards and individuals about the risks they face traveling through or to Dubai and how to take the necessary precautions before entering.
This might sound ambitious, but we're already making very good progress and speaking directly with those who are in the position to deport/pardon those currently in custody awaiting charges. We strongly believe that there is an effective way to change policy without compromising Islamic values, and educate potential visitors without scaring them away.
We have been on the fence as to whether or not we should go to the mainstream media with this. We have made the executive decision that this is the next, necessary step after uncovering more and more cases like his. Fortunately for us, there are works already in progress which we are involving ourselves in. A few high profile cases are waging their own campaigns and word is trickling out. I guess that if there were ever a time to be arrested in Dubai, now would be it, so we've been lucky.
What you can do:
We need your stories. Have you had a bad experience in Dubai? Do you know someone who has? Email us at dubaicampaign@gmail.com.
We're struggling with a balancing act of not being unfairly alarmist, while on the other hand ensuring that travelers are safe and aware of the risk they face. I understand that many people love Dubai and have never seen the underside of it. Please do not take our efforts personally and try to understand that we are in scary place and trying to do all we can to get our loved ones home.
*I am about half-way through your letters to Diz. I sent the first batch yesterday to his liaison in Dubai, and will send a second batch later today. Many of you have been forthcoming with advice or offering help to us personally. Thank you all so much for your efforts, and there are truly no words to express my gratitude. |
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| Spread the knowledge |
[Jan. 29th, 2008|06:01 pm] |
So here is what is happening with Diz, my partner.
I waited to go public with this because I wanted to preserve his privacy, and thank you for understanding the cryptic nature of my communication lately.
On Saturday morning Diz flew into Dubai airport and was detained at immigration. We kind of knew he would be profiled because he has long hair and looks oriental (they are very racist against Asians in Dubai, and ultra-conservative). He knew the score going in: prescription drugs are illegal, dress conservatively and detox for a week (even trace amounts of either illegal or prescription drugs in the urine are prosecuted as 'drug smuggling'. I'm not joking).
They found melatonin on him, which he bought over the counter in the US. Legally, you can even buy it over the counter in Dubai.
They arrested him, anyway.
He was strip searched, forced to do a urine test and thrown in jail. In their search they dug into the bottom of his bag and came up with a few fragments of dirt, which they allege is hashish, which is totally outrageous. They also claimed that the melatonin was actually drugs, which was equally, clearly absurd.
The sentence if convicted is a blanket four years, with a minimum of six months in prison in one of Dubai's squalid, third world facilities.
After detaining him for three days, the melatonin was determined to be just that, and his urine was clear. Now they've asked for a seven day extension to test the dirt, and we trust that he will be on his way home after that.
They've been psychologically abusing all of us. One minute we're told they'll let him go as soon as they test the pills, the next we're told they are going through and pressing charges against him. Taking care of his affairs and keeping all of his close friends and relations, spanning four continents, up to date has been a full time job. Nadya, myself and Scott (his friend in Dubai: read his account here) have been working around the clock, ready to wage a campaign for his freedom in the event that he is charged. Scotty and Nadya are both pretty much fucking angels.
I spoke to him for the first time today. He rang me and answered my greeting with "Hello from the Dubai tourism board!", so rest assure he is in good spirits and taking all of this very well.
What can you do?
He wants your emails and letters. He's bored as hell. Send them to me at mildredvon at yahoo dot come and I'll make sure they get to him. He hasn't been charged with anything as yet, so there's not much we can do but wait.
In the event they decide to prosecute him we will wage a campaign for his release and we will need all the help we can get for it, but we're keeping our fingers crossed for an acquittal and apology over the next seven days.
Obviously, we're preparing for the worst. We have no guarantee they're not going to sentence him, and they've been threatening us with this possibility every time the consulate tells us things are going well. We've begun the task of taking care of his affairs in London in case they hold him more than the ten days. Things could always be a lot worse, and he's being treated well and has so much love and support from all of you guys.
The moral of this story is, no one is safe: If you go to Dubai, you are guilty until proven innocent under their unique little brand of sharia-lite laws. DO NOT be fooled by their campaign of hearts and minds and their self appointed branding as some sort of open-minded oasis in the Middle East. Diz is not alone: he is actually in the company of many other hapless victims who were singled out to make an example of. Do not think this could not happen to you. His story needs to get out so this does not happen to anyone else.
This is the message we need to get across: Dubai is not a safe tourist destination for Westerners.
Do your own research, and here are just a few links to get you started:
Woman hospitalized in Dubai and given painkillers, arrested at airport for it
Briton held in Dubai for painkillers in system
Canadian anti-drug agent arrested for...drugs
15 year old tourist accused of homosexual acts after being gang raped |
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