Young wife distraught over husband’s three month long detention and torture in Dubai.
Neda has mounted a campaign to free her American husband from jail after he was arrested, beaten and tortured by Dubai authorities. Her husband, Edel Hsieh from California, has been languishing in a UAE prison after a false allegation was levied against him by a former colleague who has since been accused of fraud.
Neda moved to Dubai with her husband who was joining a team of cryptocurrency developers, but Edel discovered his colleagues were syphoning investment funds from the company without his consent. He requested the return of his initial $1m investment which was eventually paid to him. He and Neda were stunned when police suddenly came to arrest Ed, accusing him of threatening his former partner and forcing him at knifepoint to return the money. “Ed is a loving, normal man. He’s never been in any trouble with authorities anywhere, so I could hardly believe what was happening”. Neda received a call from Ed who asked her to send $100,000 to a police officer’s personal account. He had been beaten and forced to call her under duress.
The thought of the abuse he had suffered at the hands of authorities brought Neda to tears. “There was absolutely no evidence against my husband”, explains Neda, “but he has now been in prison for three months. We have no idea if or when he will be released. We just learned that the court appointed forensic expert confirmed that Ed is innocent and the accusations against him are false, but he’s still locked up. The apparent witness has fled the country and there is literally no evidence to support the claim.
“I’ve been doing everything I can to help bring him home. I’ve called on the US government and politicians to get involved and now that the expert has essentially exonerated him, we really hope Sheikh Mohammed and the authorities in Dubai can see my husband has been the victim, not anyone else”.
Radha Stirling of NGO, Detained in Dubai, has called on Congresswoman Sanchez and the US State Department to intervene diplomatically in “what clearly is a case of injustice, especially where a US citizen has faced physical beatings and mistreatment. This kind of treatment is unacceptable in a country that markets itself as a safe hub for investors, entrepreneurs and tourists.
“Entrepreneurs and investors are at the greatest risk of becoming extortion targets. The justice system is abused by Dubai residents in the know. Having someone jailed and beaten is the easiest way to extort funds from them and this has been a standard playbook for the past two decades. Dubai’s ruler needs to end the practice and restore faith in the judicial system of Dubai.
“Neda is deeply distressed by the prolonged separation from her husband. She struggles to sleep and spends her days campaigning to free her husband. It’s the toughest thing they’ve ever been through,
“With exonerating expert evidence, prosecutors should drop the charges against Ed and let him return to his family. He should not have to stay in jail a day more”.
