Detained in Dubai's CEO, Radha Stirling, issued a statement on the arrest of Kaz Crossley:
Update - 2.30pm 17 February 2023
"The immediate flood of media attention and public concern over the detention of Kaz Crossley in the UAE has caused Dubai authorities to just as quickly release the 'Love Island" celebrity after initially arresting her over a video from 2020 allegedly showing her consuming drugs.
Ms Crossley is fortunate that her celebrity status instantly garnered media attention about her arrest and thereby incentivising Emirati officials to hurriedly resolve the matter and allow her to go free without facing the reported drug charges UAE police intended to pursue. Ordinary tourists, travelers, and expats are not so fortunate. Had Ms Crossley not been a media influencer, she would undoubtedly have suffered the same suspension of due process, wrongful prosecution and conviction which far too many other foreign nationals have faced in the Emirates.
We are relieved that her case was resolved, but this incident demonstrates the extent to which the UAE primarily cares about fairness, human rights, and the processes of justice when they are subjected to intense media scrutiny. There are, essentially, two versions of justice in the United Arab Emirates; one when the world is watching, and one when it isn't; and when there is no audience, there is no justice."
Radha Stirling
Radha Stirling
"The case of Kaz Crossley; arrested in Abu Dhabi en route to Thailand over allegations of possessing and consuming drugs in 2020 while reportedly in Dubai during the pandemic; highlights not only the Emirates’ zero-tolerance policy towards narcotics, but more so the expansive license granted to law enforcement in the UAE to arrest and prosecute individuals without substantial evidence.
- 10.00am 17 February 2023
"It appears that Ms. Crossley has been detained based solely on a video posted on social media that was subsequently published in the press allegedly showing her inhaling an unidentified white substance over two years ago. It is not known, nor provable, what that substance was, nor even whether or not the video was actually filmed in Dubai; yet the mere suggestion that illegal drug use in the UAE took place in 2020 is sufficient for the Emirati police and prosecutors to apprehend Ms. Crossley, and very likely to convict her.
"This is the sort of evidentiary and investigative hubris that has seen multiple foreign nationals imprisoned in the UAE, based exclusively on accusations by dubious informants or police bias. British citizen Andy Neal, for instance, was falsely imprisoned for over a year on drug charges in the Emirates in 2018 without a shred of evidence. We have seen several other cases in which foreigners have been jailed for entering the UAE after consuming drugs legally in their home countries, after informants alerted police to screen them upon arrival for the presence of narcotics in their systems.
"While Dubai has decreased minimum sentencing for drug possession cases, the punishment is still up to the court’s discretion. Ms Crossley could be facing a significant prison term as well as a substantial fine, despite possessing no drugs, having no drugs in her bloodstream, and with no evidence of having committed a crime except media speculation and gossip.
"While in police custody, Ms Crossley is at risk of suffering harsh coercion and intimidation by the police, who typically force suspects to sign false confessions in Arabic under threat of greater punishment for non-compliance. Conditions in police station holding cells are horrendous, with individuals charged with non-violent offences housed side-by-side with hardened criminals and violent offenders. British national Lee Bradley Brown was killed in custody in 2011.
"If she is convicted, Ms Crossley will serve her sentence in Dubai Central Jail, which is notorious for abuse, torture, and severe over-crowding. Access to legal representation, communication, medicine, visits, and consular support are all seriously restricted – particularly for those charged with drug offences. Without intervention by the British government, Ms Crossley’s right to due process will be non-existent; with court proceedings held entirely in Arabic, with little or no opportunity to defend herself against the charges; and her conviction is a foregone conclusion.
"There is, of course, also the danger that Ms Crossley could even face additional charges under Dubai’s Cybercrime laws if authorities conclude that she posted video online of herself committing a crime; which could result in an even heavier sentence than the drug charges."
- 10.00am 17 February 2023
"It appears that Ms. Crossley has been detained based solely on a video posted on social media that was subsequently published in the press allegedly showing her inhaling an unidentified white substance over two years ago. It is not known, nor provable, what that substance was, nor even whether or not the video was actually filmed in Dubai; yet the mere suggestion that illegal drug use in the UAE took place in 2020 is sufficient for the Emirati police and prosecutors to apprehend Ms. Crossley, and very likely to convict her.
"This is the sort of evidentiary and investigative hubris that has seen multiple foreign nationals imprisoned in the UAE, based exclusively on accusations by dubious informants or police bias. British citizen Andy Neal, for instance, was falsely imprisoned for over a year on drug charges in the Emirates in 2018 without a shred of evidence. We have seen several other cases in which foreigners have been jailed for entering the UAE after consuming drugs legally in their home countries, after informants alerted police to screen them upon arrival for the presence of narcotics in their systems.
"While Dubai has decreased minimum sentencing for drug possession cases, the punishment is still up to the court’s discretion. Ms Crossley could be facing a significant prison term as well as a substantial fine, despite possessing no drugs, having no drugs in her bloodstream, and with no evidence of having committed a crime except media speculation and gossip.
"While in police custody, Ms Crossley is at risk of suffering harsh coercion and intimidation by the police, who typically force suspects to sign false confessions in Arabic under threat of greater punishment for non-compliance. Conditions in police station holding cells are horrendous, with individuals charged with non-violent offences housed side-by-side with hardened criminals and violent offenders. British national Lee Bradley Brown was killed in custody in 2011.
"If she is convicted, Ms Crossley will serve her sentence in Dubai Central Jail, which is notorious for abuse, torture, and severe over-crowding. Access to legal representation, communication, medicine, visits, and consular support are all seriously restricted – particularly for those charged with drug offences. Without intervention by the British government, Ms Crossley’s right to due process will be non-existent; with court proceedings held entirely in Arabic, with little or no opportunity to defend herself against the charges; and her conviction is a foregone conclusion.
"There is, of course, also the danger that Ms Crossley could even face additional charges under Dubai’s Cybercrime laws if authorities conclude that she posted video online of herself committing a crime; which could result in an even heavier sentence than the drug charges."
