Houston resident Tierra Young Allen has been living a nightmare for the past two months. She’s been imprisoned in a jail in the United Arab Emirates because, according to multiple reports, she screamed in public.
Allen, 29, and a friend were vacationing in Dubai. The friend was the driver of a rental car they had, when they were involved in a car accident. Neither of the women was hurt, but the car was impounded and Allen’s personal items, including her ID, credit card and other items, were inadvertently left in the rental.
Allen claimed she went to receive her belongings the next day and things began to escalate when, “the manager was being rude and mean” to her.
“She found out she could only receive those items if she paid an undisclosed amount of money. She dealt with a very aggressive individual a young man there who was screaming at her,” Allen’s mother, Tina Baxter, told Fox 6 in Houston. She says Allen eventually yelled back, which resulted in her being charged with the crime of screaming in public.
Y’all I did a whole bunch of Googling . It did take me a while, but yes, if I am reading this correctly (obviously, I’m not an expert in the laws of the UAE) it appears they do have a law on the books that says you’re not allowed to shout in public:
Article 9
Speaking or shouting publicly through any mechanical
means in a public gathering, in a public road or in a licensed
or frequented place or if it is diffused by any other means.
They also have another law on record that says using vulgar or obscene language in public, along with making rude gestures, can get you arrested in Dubai. We don’t know if Allen resorted to that, or perhaps gave the manager the finger, but if she used vulgar or obscene language in what she said, it would have been potential grounds for criminal detention, as well.
Radha Stirling, CEO of UAE civil & criminal justice service Detained in Dubai, who is assisting Allen, suggests this situation happens quite a bit, as a side hustle of extortion.
It is extremely common for rental car agencies to open cases against customers as a means to extort them. The hope is that whomever they perceive to be a ‘wealthy foreigner’ will offer them cash in order to drop the case.
Meanwhile, Allen’s mother says her daughter’s passport has reportedly been confiscated by Dubai authorities, and she’s been placed under a travel ban pending the outcome of the investigation. If convicted, she faces prison time, fines, and deportation.
“It’s very frightening. The longer she’s been there the more reality has started to kick in,” Baxter says.
Obviously, the laws and customs of the U.S. and the UAE are very different. This is just another warning to remain aware of your actions in other countries, to ensure they don’t offend. Especially, apparently, the United Arab Emirates.
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