Dubai frees mother held for drinking wine on flight

A mother and her four-year-old-daughter have been released from a Dubai jail after being detained for drinking a “complimentary glass of wine” on-board a flight from London on 13 July.

According to Dubai’s attorney general, Dubai’s public prosecution department completed its investigation and closed the case.

Ellie Holman, 44, a dentist by profession was traveling on Emirates Airline when she accepted a complimentary glass of wine served with her meal on the airline’s flight to Dubai. She was arrested at Dubai International Airport after being asked if she had consumed alcohol on the trip on 13 July.

In a statement, the attorney general failed to mention anything on the alcohol consumption, and blamed Holman’s imprisonment on her “expired passport”.

Holman faced charges of “profanity and photography of a government official at the border crossing”, a restricted area.

We need to address the UAE’s appalling human rights record

According to the Government of Dubai, after being advised that her passport had expired, Holman presented an Iranian passport which allowed her to apply for a 96-hour visa, but this meant she had to change her return journey. “Ms Holman refused angrily,” the statement said, over the extra costs of the process and continued with “verbal insults”.

The charges were officially dropped on Saturday.

Holman said: “I am shocked and excited to be returning home to England and that this nightmare is coming to an end.”

“When I answered the phone this morning and was told that I was being let go and needed to collect my passport, I couldn’t believe it and wondered if it was a trap.

“They apologised on behalf of the immigration official and I was told that I was free on [Crown Prince of Dubai] Sheikh Mohammed’s orders and welcome to return to Dubai. They helped me to arrange flights out of the country.”

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“This situation has cost us tens of thousands and we have had to use all of our savings, which is devastating to us.”

The chief executive of the human rights organisation Detained in Dubai, Radha Stirling said: “She should not have suffered the considerable financial loss incurred by her detention, and her daughter should never have been subjected to this needless trauma.”

“However, the fact is, that this case was not a ‘mistake’; it was perfectly in keeping with the confused laws of the UAE pertaining to alcohol, and what should never have happened will inevitably happen again to another unsuspecting traveller who accepts a free alcoholic beverage from Emirates Airlines on a flight to Dubai,” Stirling said.

“Dismissing the case of Dr Holman does not resolve the problematic policies in the UAE that allowed this case to happen; and tourists must understand that they still face serious risk of prosecution in Dubai for any number of offences that they may not even know are offences.”

Dubai jails mother with daughter for drinking wine on flight