A human rights activist has claimed that paranoid residents in Dubai have started reporting members of group chats who share pictures of Iranian drone and missile attacks to authorities.
The war in the Middle East has seen Iran launch dozens of strikes at its Gulf neighbours for more than a month.
Harrowing footage and pictures of these attacks have made their way around the world, thanks in large part to residents in cities like Dubai who take them and share them on social media.
But the dissemination of these pictures and videos purportedly undermines the ‘national security and stability’ of Gulf nations, which have long sought to uphold their ‘carefully constructed brand’ as safe and glamorous travel destination.
As a result, tourists, expats and cabin crew who have dared share clips of these attacks have been detained in overcrowded police cells and prisons – and in some cases denied sleep, food and medicine – as they fall foul of draconian laws that purport to protect ‘national security and stability’.
Even passively receiving an image is deemed illegal under the severest laws, which can carry a sentence of ten years in prison or fines of up to £200,000.
Radha Stirling – whose group, Detained in Dubai, has been helping British nationals who have been arrested for taking photos of attacks – told the i newspaper that the problem has become so bad that residents in the UAE city have begin informing authorities about people who send photos of Iranian attacks on group chats.
Emirati laws prohibit anyone from taking or publishing photos that could ‘disturb public security’.
When there is an Iranian strike, those nearby are sent a text message in both Arabic and English saying: ‘Photographing or sharing security or critical sites, or reposting unreliable information, may result in legal action and compromise national security and stability.’
Police also reportedly approach those in the area and demand to see their phones. Anyone caught with photos of attack sites is arrested, while those who receive such photos through apps like WhatsApp are also tracked down and arrested.
As many as 70 Britons have been locked up in the United Arab Emirates for taking photos and videos of drone and missile attacks, The Mail on Sunday revealed this week.
So many people are being held that the legal system is swamped, meaning those arrested face months in detention before being charged, according to human rights group Dubai Watch.
Some of those arrested have been released on bail – but have had their passports confiscated so they cannot leave the Emirates. If they are expats whose work visas expire in the meantime, they will not be able to work and face homelessness, campaigners say.
Dubai Watch is representing eight arrested Britons, but its founder David Haigh says local lawyers tell him that at least 35 Britons have been detained in Dubai, and a similar number in neighbouring Abu Dhabi.
In some cases, they were made to sign statements in Arabic they did not understand, it is claimed.
Access by British consular staff is understood to be ‘restricted or outright denied’.
The Foreign Office is not automatically alerted to all cases, and some of those arrested have been advised not to contact the British Embassy for fear it could prolong their cases.
Officials believe just five British detainees are receiving consular help for taking pictures.
Before the war, more than 240,000 Britons lived in Dubai. About half are thought to have returned home since Iran started firing missiles and drones across the Strait of Hormuz.
The Emirati embassy in London said people had been warned about taking or sharing photos from ‘incident sites’, adding: ‘Disseminating such materials or inaccurate information can incite public panic and create a false impression of the UAE’s actual situation.’
