A British woman is facing up to two years in prison in Dubai for allegedly insulting her former husband’s new wife on Facebook.
Londoner Laleh Shahravesh, 55, was arrested at Dubai airport after travelling to the Gulf state with her 14-year-old daughter to attend her ex’s funeral following his death from a heart attack, The Guardian reports.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
“While she returned to the UK with her daughter, her husband stayed in the United Arab Emirates, and the couple got divorced,” the news site reports.
After learning that he was remarrying in 2016, Shahravesh posted two comments in Farsi below a Facebook photo of the newlyweds, including one that said: “I hope you go under the ground, you idiot. Damn you. You left me for this horse.”
A second comment reportedly said: “You married a horse, you idiot.”
The new wife is then believed to have reported the comments to Dubai police. Under the UAE’s cybercrime laws, a person can be jailed or fined for making defamatory statements on social media, regardless of whether those comments are made before they visit the country.
Sharavesh is the first British woman known to be charged under the laws, says The Daily Telegraph.
She now faces up to 24 months in jail and a fine of £50,000 following her arrest, in March. She “has been forced to remain in Dubai in a hotel as she awaits a court appearance, losing her job and plunging into debt in the process”, the newspaper adds.
Her teenage daughter was later allowed to fly home alone and is reportedly staying with relatives.
A UK Foreign Office spokesperson said its staff are supporting Shahravesh and “are in contact with the UAE authorities regarding her case”.
Radha Stirling, chief executive of support group Detained In Dubai, said “every family member was teary and it was very emotional to speak with all of them”.
“They are all extremely damaged by what has happened and I expect it will be a long and psychological recovery process for them,” Stirling added.
-
Political cartoons for October 25Cartoons Saturday’s political cartoons include hospital bill trauma, Independence Day, and more
-
Roasted squash and apple soup recipeThe Week Recommends Autumnal soup is full of warming and hearty flavours
-
Ukraine: Donald Trump pivots againIn the Spotlight US president apparently warned Volodymyr Zelenskyy to accept Vladimir Putin’s terms or face destruction during fractious face-to-face
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
What are the Abraham Accords and why are they under threat?The Explainer The 2020 agreements would be 'undermined' if Israel annexes West Bank, UAE warns
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
India's fake weddingsUnder The Radar New party trend promises all the fun of a wedding without any of the downsides
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
