There are some people who find out the hard way that, regardless of what they allow in your home country, if you’re going to travel internationally, you really need to learn the customs and laws of the places you visit.
We’ve already discussed travelers who learned that the hard way:
- Woman jailed for bringing handgun to Australian
- Countries where you can be jailed for wearing camouflage
- Woman jailed in Dubai for yelling in public
Another one
We can add another person to the list – 18-year-old Marcus Fakana, a resident of London. He’s currently in jail in Dubai, because he had sex in the country with his girlfriend, who was almost 18 at the time, but still 17, nonetheless. That’s illegal in Dubai.
The thing is, well, you know how on Reddit that have the AITA (Am I The A-hole) forum? Whoever writes their tale of woe asks if they were the A-hole for doing what they did. Sometimes they are, sometimes not. And sometimes, when the entire situation is a dumpster fire, everyone in the story is deemed an A-hole. That’s what this story sounds like.
So, this past August, Mr. Fakana was on vacation in Dubai with his parents. He met a girl, allegedly also from the London area, but who was 17 years old. The two hit it off, one thing led to another and, well, you know. Bow chicky bow bow.
Fakana said: “We had a wonderful time together. We really liked each other but she was secretive with her family because they were strict.
“My parents knew about our relationship but she couldn’t tell hers. She had to meet me without telling them it was to see a boy,” he told Detained in Dubai.
The unnamed girl went back home with her family, before his vacation with his was done.
“When she left, I couldn’t wait to see her again when I got home,” Fakana continued.
After the girl went home though, her mother wound up looking through her daughter’s phone and discovered the relationship when she went through the girl’s chats and photos. The mother was reportedly furious and contacted authorities in Dubai to let them know Fakana, who was legally an adult, had had sex with someone who was, at the time, a minor.
Had the relationship taken place in London, it would have been legal. But in Dubai, not so much. Although the laws in the country had recently changed so that tourists who were legal adults could engage in out-of-wedlock sex, it’s still against strict Islamic law if either participant is underage. So local authorities came to arrest him.
Fakana said, “…police knocked on our hotel door. They said they were taking me in for questioning but wouldn’t tell me why. I couldn’t imagine what for. I was frightened and my parents were terrified.”
The 18-year-old was held at Al Barsha Police Station for three days. During that time, he wasn’t allowed to contact anyone, not even his parents.
Fakana was originally facing the possibility of up to 20 years in prison, but after his December 9th hearing, his sentence was reduced to one year.
He’s still hoping UK authorities can intervene so his sentence can be cut even more.
“This is clearly a very strict mother to involve police in a private matter that is completely legal in the country where she lives and where the children have grown up,” said Radha Sterling, Chief Executive of Detained in Dubai.
“Perhaps she wasn’t aware that she triggered the possibility of a young man of only 18 spending the next 20 years in prison.”
So to review:
- 18-year-old who had sex with 17-year-old in a country where it isn’t allowed. That was an A-hole thing to do. As we said earlier, know the laws of where you are.
- 17-year-old who didn’t tell her family about the relationship. Parents are strict; I get it. But sneaking around is also A-holery.
- Mother who reported the young man is the biggest A-hole of them all; she potentially just ruined this kid’s life.
- (I won’t say that the lawmakers in Dubai are A-holes; it’s their country…they can make whatever laws they want)
Hopefully, the UK government can help this guy be released from prison sooner rather than later.
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