V-Flyer

Report that a mother has been thrown in prison for having a glass of wine whilst travelling to DXB!

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There is probably more to this than meets the eye but as a regular going to and passing through there it makes me wonder?

Of course I only ever consume water

An invalid/out of date visa and filming the "conversation" with the immigration officer (can you imagine that at US immigration)!

link dosen't work for me

But I'll guess and say that whilst she believed she was a model of decorum the reality was something different!

Sorry, link seems to have gone. From reading [and not my opinion per se] she arrived with an out of date/invalid visa and kicked off to immigration, where she then started to film the ''confrontation". There is only ever going to be one winner in an immigration v passenger "discussion".

I just read it. Definitely more than just a glass of wine involved. Trying to film it dosen't help either. Would likely be the same here and the US plus lots of other countries as well. You are going to get an invitation to have a 'quick chat' in a side room that is neither quick nor the usual definition of chat.

Some of the comments though are totally ignorant. And whilst it is illegal to do some things in public in private there is more tolerance such as serving alcohol in hotels and private ho,es. Is that hypocritical then yes it is but you can say the same about some laws over here as well.

There is only one reason I'm not visiting Dubai and that's the heat!

tontybear wrote:There is only one reason I'm not visiting Dubai and that's the heat!

It's great in the winter months so don't rule it out. However, I find it completely soulless but do enjoy it as I have friends there and it can be relaxing with the correct hotel. That said, you'll find hotels in the summer months offering their rooms for £120pn H/B versus £500+pn and nothing included in the winter.

Back on topic... I've enjoyed many a tipple on the VS400 and entered Dubai with no issue.

We're definitely not getting anything like the full story on this case. You do not get arrested in Dubai simply for arriving at immigration having consumed a glass of wine on the flight. If you did Dubai would have next to no tourism business & I daresay more than a few businesses would be put off from doing business there too.

I've been to Dubai a few times and have always had a drink or two (or three) on the flight and have never had any problems (as have many on here). Yes, Dubai is strict on one hand, but there is also a lot of tolerance as long as you are respectful and "tone it down". i.e. it is an offence to be drunk in public - the Dubai police watch people leaving hotels after Friday brunches who will clearly have been drinking a lot. As long as you are not drawing attention to yourself / your group / being disrespectful, they let it go.

I quite like Dubai, but agree it is all very false and a bit soul-less - but it's quite bearable for a week of warm weather in the winter. It is, however, very near the bottom of the list of places I would want to get into any trouble in.

She has been released with an apology from Dubai government

I don't think she did get an apology. The charges against her (that could have led to years in jail) were dropped and she was deported instead.

The version of events as told by the Dubai Attorney-General certainly seems a lot more plausible than Ms Holman's.

In a new statement, Dubai’s Attorney-General said the incident started when Ms Holman tried to enter the city with a Swedish passport, which had expired on June 10.

She then presented an Iranian passport, but was told she could only enter the United Arab Emirates with a new temporary visa that would allow her to stay for 96 hours — which meant she would have to change her flights.

“Ms Holman refused angrily due to the additional payment fees the process would require, and proceeded to verbally insult the immigration officer and take photos of the officer via her phone,” Attorney-General Esam Issa Al Humaidan.

“A legal claim was issued against Ms Holman with charges of profanity and photographing a government official at the border crossing, a restricted area.

“The woman and her child remained together in the airport security office for less than 24 hours while services were provided to them, taking into full account and consideration of her four-year-old daughter.

“Her father received her immediately upon his arrival and they subsequently departed the country.”

He said the public prosecutor had decided to drop the charges against Ms Holman and deport her instead.

I have no doubt that she was questioned about alcohol but that seems to fit with follow-up once she was detained rather than being the reason she was detained.

I think there's no question that her arguments at the border and filming/photographing the border official were the reasons for her (temporary) detention. Alas, today's clickbait/low-effort "journalism" and desperate attempts at creating outrage or the next viral "thing" will mean that by now, the story will be off everyone's radar and when the truth comes to light, nobody's interested.