Katie Price' new husband's Complaint From Dubai Prison Highlights Brutal Conditions and the Hidden Punishment After “Release”
As headlines focus on Katie Price’s husband, Lee Andrews, speaking out about conditions inside a Dubai prison, human rights expert Radha Stirling has warned that his experience reflects a much wider and deeply entrenched problem within the UAE justice system.
“Dubai prisons are among the most brutal environments our clients have ever endured,” said Radha Stirling, founder of Detained in Dubai. “Lee Andrews’ complaint about prison conditions echoes what we hear repeatedly. Our client Albert Douglas has just spoken publicly about being beaten, tortured and left with broken bones while imprisoned in the UAE. These are not isolated incidents.”
Stirling stressed that in the UAE, punishment often continues long after a prison sentence ends.
“In Dubai, serving your time as Lee has, does not mean you go home. Many people are released from prison only to be placed on travel bans that last years or even indefinitely. In many cases, the travel ban becomes the real punishment.”
People subject to travel bans are typically prohibited from working, have their passports confiscated, and face extreme difficulty securing accommodation. According to Stirling, embassies have repeatedly failed to provide meaningful assistance.
“We have seen British and Irish citizens released from prison and then left facing homelessness because they are not allowed to work and cannot leave the country. Veterans and professionals alike have been abandoned. Just look at the case of John Murphy, a veteran who is homeless, unable to work and unable to get any relief from his government”.
Stirling emphasised that those trapped by travel bans are not necessarily guilty of a crime.
“Some people are placed under civil travel bans simply because they were unable to pay a mortgage or debt due to redundancy, serious illness or other major life circumstances. Others are wrongfully accused of criminal offences for ulterior motives, including targeting their businesses and looting their assets.”
She pointed to the case of Albert Douglas as a clear example of systemic abuse.
“Albert was fully exonerated and the United Nations ruled that he had been arbitrarily detained so that his assets could be stolen. He was released after UN intervention, but his wealth was never returned. He was held as a financial hostage in Dubai as they tried to threaten and extort his family”.
According to Stirling, civil travel bans can become a permanent trap.
“If there is a civil judgment that cannot be paid, the ban may never be lifted. It becomes a catch twenty two. You cannot work because of the ban, but you cannot leave because you cannot pay. Worse than that, these judgements have been made in absentia and often victims have been deprived of their right to legally defend themselves.”
As public attention turns to high profile cases such as Lee Andrews, Stirling urged the public to look beyond celebrity headlines.
“The real story is not a celebrity scandal and Lee’s case in particular. It is a system that punishes people long after prison ends, strips them of their livelihoods, and traps them indefinitely. Anyone considering living or doing business in Dubai needs to understand the very real risks involved.”
