A European petition calling for the release of a British citizen detained in Dubai exposed torture violations against foreign arrivals in the UAE.
The petition calls for the release of Albert Douglas, who is imprisoned in Dubai due to the financial failures of his son’s company.
“The UAE is notorious for criminalizing what would be considered a civil matter in the United Kingdom,” the petition reads. It is also notorious for imprisoning family members or using prisoners for ransom. The family cannot pay the exorbitant fines. They lost their property, and their businesses were looted.”
The petition stated that the 60-year-old Albert is rotting in prison and will likely never be released and while in prison, his own business has failed, which will lead to further criminal cases being imposed against him through no fault of his own. This is why Dubai is the riskiest place to invest or do business.”
It noted that while in prison, Albert was subjected to the most horrific forms of torture, as people were hung upside down and mistreated.
The petition also criticized the deliberate medical negligence against detainees in the UAE, explaining that he was beaten when Albert requested medicine for his heart.
Months ago, British media blew up a new scandal with the UAE authorities by arresting a British young man with autism to blackmail his father into turning himself in.
My London website revealed that the Emirati authorities arrested the son of a British businessman who had been bankrupt and confiscated his passport.
The site stated that the son of British businessman Albert Douglas, 20 years, was arrested by the UAE authorities a few days ago, and his passport was confiscated.
Douglas was arrested despite his suffering from autism and not having committed any guilt to pressure his father, who was running a real estate company in the Emirates and was subjected to bankruptcy.
The young man’s family says he is stuck in Dubai because his passport has been confiscated, and they are desperate to bring him to England.
According to his brother Wolfgang, Albert Douglas cannot take care of himself due to learning difficulties who lives in South Kensington.
While living in Dubai, Albert was dependent on the care of his wealthy mother and father, who made a fortune during the real estate boom in the UAE.
But the family was dispersed when their father, Albert Douglas Sr., was thrown into prison by Emirati authorities earlier this year.
The family confirmed that the 60-year-old was beaten in prison and forced to watch the torture of fellow prisoners.
The British businessman was initially tried after the bankruptcy of Wolfgang Real Estate in 2019 and was unable to pay creditors in the UAE, while the businessman left the company in 2018.
But he was sentenced to three years in prison after border guards caught him trying to flee the country to Oman.
Wolfgang, a 34-year-old father of three, previously explained that it is common for UAE authorities to target a family member of a person suspected of committing a crime, but they do not have access to it.
In this case, his father was imprisoned due to problems with the Wolfgang company.
Wolfgang says his father was asked to hand over his passport 18 months ago at the Emirates Police Station to act as a guarantor when Albert Sr. was first imprisoned.
But his passport was never returned, and Wolfgang and his mother, who now live in the UK, want their father back here too.
Wolfgang said: “We have been able to speak to my brother over the past few months, but he is in complete confusion and cannot understand why he has not been able to see his father for so long.
Wolfgang explained that their other brother in Dubai is looking after Albert Jr, but that he would be much happier and safer if he could join Wolfgang and their mother in the UK.