Women detained in Dubai ‘after glass of wine on plane’

[Aridane]

Reading today’s Guardian and came across this.

Swedish dentist travelling with four year old daughter from London to Dubai had a glass of wine on the flight. Taken into custody as had an invalid visa and pending return to UK. Blood test then administered to test for alcohol. As a result of which apparently she and daughter detained for three days and made to clean toilets.

Released on bail, passport confiscated, remaining in Dubai pending hearing in a year.

Can’t do a link as reading a physical newspaper.

Anyone know any more about this? Is there more to it than a glass of wine on the flight and an invalid visa?

Just seems quite odd.

@NotAllIndividuals you are entitled to apply for a visa at point of entry but they have the right to deny it

"Apparently that was for legal fees and lost wages ..."

Yes, that was it, thank you.

You'd have to be pretty stupid (or pretty drunk) to kick off at immigration of any country, and even more so to film it. Struggle to think of a country that wouldn't have arrested her at that point...

Bloody nightmare for the poor kid, though.

Even if you don't have the correct visa, you are not thrown in jail with your child in the UK.

One of my students had an invalid visa on traveling from South America, they were let in, allowed to travel for two days to their destination after promising to come back, then travelled back.

Given she was on a UK passport, it's not at all clear her visa was invalid, plus she was held on the alcohol charge, even if their initial issue was the visa.

I can't see why anyone thinks that the charge is justified, or the treatment of the woman justified by the above. I don't see anything to justify either, although I would not try to film officials, but I might be panicking by that point and trying to obtain evidence.

In short, you do travel at your peril because you don't expect to end up in jail for this.

You never get gobby with Immigration officials.

You won’t win in any country.

The goady fuckers at JFK are spoiling for a fight any day or time you arrive.

Anyone with any sense knows you do not piss off immigration anywhere in the world. It’s not just Dubai you’d end up in prison for acting up and being abusive in immigration.

She didn’t have a valid visa
She refused to take the offered return flight
She was filming when she was asked not to (try filming your way thro immigration in the UK or the US, and then refuse to stop when you’re asked to, see what happens).
She kicked off
And she had alcohol in her system (possibly contributed to her behaviour).

Where did the woman think the above would lead her to if not prison?

Yea I can't see any customs area /official putting up with being filmed and shouted at.

DH flies Emirates BC every couple of months.

It’s super-liquid at 36,000 ft.

I think the filming really escalated it since that’s not allowed. I’ve seen rules about this at border control in most countries, including the US and the UK.

How do we know she 'kicked off'? Perhaps she just asserted that the visa decision was the wrong one, which it might well have been!

Thanks for the google link, pixie - that gives a better flavour thanthe GuArdian article

"But she was tired and couldn’t face it "

That's not really their concern though is it?

Were they supposed to put her & her daughter up somewhere until she could face it?

I imagine it’s fine as long as there is no public disorder, such as arguing with and filming an immigration officer.

I disagree, she should not have caused a fracas, absolutely, and she should have been charged for that, if that's the law, but throwing the use of alcohol at her if the alcohol was legally served by a airline should not have happened either.

You need clear laws and clear and unbiased application of them.

I'm not travelling there.

The thing is Summers, and I’m totally guessing, I would imagine the presence of alcohol didn’t contribute to a reasoned, contrite discussion. It rarely does.

How do we know she 'kicked off'? Perhaps she just asserted that the visa decision was the wrong one, which it might well have been!

Filming is a dead giveaway.

Bottom line is that she was refused entry, and then she refused to return to the U.K. Detention seems the logical next step.

You need clear laws and clear and unbiased application of them.

That’s the British mindset. If only all countries had British values...

God save the Queen!

She’s been allowed home now.

Sounds like the visa issue is complex too though:

Visas

If you’re a British Citizen you can get a visitor’s visa on arrival in the UAE. In the past, this visa has allowed the visitor to stay in the UAE for up to 30 days. The visa has terminated automatically on departure and a new visa issued on arrival each time the same visitor returns to the UAE.

That approach continues to be applied in most cases, but in some cases British citizens (and visitors of some other nationalities) who have left the UAE and returned again within the 30 day period of stay granted at the time of the first arrival, haven’t received a new visa. Instead their stay has been limited to the initial 30 day period.

The British Embassy has sought, but not yet received, the UAE authorities’ clarification of the status and application of this different approach.

I suspect she probably raised her voice and challenged the immigration officer. He wouldn't have liked that - her being a lowly woman and all. In a similar scenario in the UK a traveller would not have been imprisoned (and did you read about the conditions they were interred in?) unless they had been physically violent. I doubt that she tried to throw a punch! Fact is they have different perspectives on human rights and the law and are not a liberal democracy. I have holidayed in both Dubai and Oman some years ago. I do not plan to go back any time soon.

My friend works in Dubai and is always on nights out drinking. There is a huge bar scene. Must be the visa/kicking off thing.

I suspect she probably raised her voice and challenged the immigration officer. He wouldn't have liked that - her being a lowly woman and all. In a similar scenario in the UK a traveller would not have been imprisoned (and did you read about the conditions they were interred in?) unless they had been physically violent. I doubt that she tried to throw a punch! Fact is they have different perspectives on human rights and the law and are not a liberal democracy. I have holidayed in both Dubai and Oman some years ago. I do not plan to go back any time soon.

The U.K. is probably the most reasonable society on Earth. We cannot hold everyone else to our compassionate standards.

Some painkillers you can’t take through Dubai. Not sure off the top of my head, but the normal ones you buy over the counter. I stopped off and transferred at Dubai airport. It’s a fascinating airport. Loads of bling and squat toilets. Obviously not together.

I read this story yesterday.

It was nothing to do with the glass of wine. She tried to enter the country with an expired visa and then argued the toss with the officials when refused entry.

Stupid woman.

"We continue to strongly advise travelers to avoid the UAE, as it remains the number one destination where foreigners are most likely to face legal problems.

"The dismissal of Dr Holman's case does not change the laws, does not change the policies, and does not mitigate the risks faced by anyone traveling to or through the UAE."

^^ from the article that *dementedpixie" linked to