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‘Detained In Dubai’ Has Proven To Everyone That It’s Not An NGO And Has Lost The Trust Of The Public

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This will about finish our coverage of the ever-unfolding case of the Swedish dentist who seems hell-bent on attacking Dubai in the international media.

We won’t go into the whole sordid tale, (you can read it from the beginning here), but basically she’s worked with a well-known company to destroy Dubai’s reputation in international media – and the tabloids, and even The Guardian, seemed to lap up the press releases on the matter, reporting the whole one-sided story.

And it has all been facilitated by Detained in Dubai

Detained in Dubai, if you’re not familiar with it, labels itself as an NGO – based in the UK, with the mission of (quoting here): “Detained in Dubai is an NGO formed to assist people who have become victims of injustice in the United Arab Emirates.”

In this statement alone, there are points to disprove.

It has worked on several high profile cases, including the infamous Jamie Harron case of the Scottish man at Rock Bottom detained for groping another man in the busy bar.

What previously may have been efforts to blow the whistle on injustices or mix-ups has now become a fully fledged propaganda attack

Detained in Dubai has no legal standing or consults – The National has verified this on more than one occasion.

And perhaps where managing director, Radha Stirling and her associates were looking to help educate tourists prior to them visiting the UAE – it’s no longer a friendly warning.

Previously, it may have been about humanitarian issues, and raising awareness of people’s ignorance, but it has now morphed into an outright slating of Dubai wherever possible – regardless of facts surrounding cases.

It is also not an NGO – as shown by its registration with Companies House as a private limited company.

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Detained in Dubai ltd.

Despite its efforts to appear as an NGO – and its intentions to be a humanitarian organisation, it seems to have metastasized into an anti-UAE propaganda machine, spewing out negative PR to any tabloid that will listen.

And its management of the Ellie Holman case has been the most fictitious and one-sided of all time.

It simply distributes press releases to UK press outlets in a bid to get attention.

And Detained in Dubai is rumoured to charge extortionate fees for its services

While these claims are unverified, price points have ranged from quotes of AED10,000 right up to AED150,000 for consultation and representation services.

And that’s without legal assistance.

Holman, Harron and all these culprits have claimed they spent more than AED150,000 (£30,000) on legal fees – a common denominator being Detained in Dubai.

But this firm, company, LLC whatever you want to call it – does not offer legal advice, rather press clipping propaganda…and simply uses a news distribution service to do so.

Busy journalists looking for quick, dramatic stories would happily pick up a Detained in Dubai scandal press release as it holds the perfect ingredients for a media storm of click-throughs – Western people imprisoned in glitzy Dubai for doing everyday things…or so they’d have you believe.

Detained in Dubai has three key players (or partners on the website)

  • Radha Stirling (most commonly quoted in UK press release regurgitations in the likes of the Daily Mail, The Sun and the rest)
  • David Haigh
  • Shahid Bolsen

All have personal vendettas against the UAE – Haigh is known to have been imprisoned in the UAE for fraudulent activities for two years while Bolsen is reported to have been embroiled in his own legal issues including manslaughter which he was jailed for and is a known promoter of violent protests in Egypt.

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The story has unfolded, day after day

The attorney general made a rare statement – that’s the level this press circus has elevated to. The attorney general saw the tabloid reporting and the fictitious ‘alternative facts’ from Detained in Dubai and made a statement to clarify.

A reputable governmental representative came out with a statement to address the issues – and to put the matter to rest.

But Stirling, and Detained in Dubai are not ones to let the truth get in the way of a good story.

Stirling has taken to Twitter to attack Dubai, feeding the falsities and trying to mitigate Holman’s role in the situation

In a recent Detained in Dubai press conference, a high profile journalist questioned links between the company’s campaigns, and Qatar

The journalist questioned Detained In Dubai’s motives – and whether these were linked to Qatar sources.

Such zealous campaigning against the UAE does lead to questions of why, and who could benefit from a relentless PR blitz against the UAE, in Western media.

And following the unravelling of the Holman case, the public smells a rat

It’s also interesting to see the selective nature of Detained In Dubai’s clientele

If Detained in Dubai truly was an NGO, with humanitarian interests, why has it not stepped up for all people that have gotten into difficult situations or scuffles with the laws in Dubai?

Why is the clientele primarily white, British people – could it be that these are the only people able to afford the AED150,000 fees?

Or is preference for people that will appeal to the media and public’s aesthetic values?

There’s no signs of low-income workers, of Asian nationalities that are swept up in legal disputes and cases – no mouthpiece in the international publications for them.

It’s either selective for racially motives, or financial – either of these is not adherent to that of an NGO.

If you need a lawyer, hire a lawyer

Don’t get a glorified PR firm to spew false information into the UK tabloids, hoping that it will kick up enough of a stink, that the UAE will feel the pinch – it’s not the case.

If you want a PR firm, and to have your face plastered all over the Daily Mail – how about you hire a PR firm and get them to do a better job, rather than prevaricating a circumstance to make you look like an anti-UAE campaigner with a cross to bear.

Go about the system in the correct way, and things will resolve.

Meanwhile we’ll wait for the Holman’s appearance on a UK morning show to share more of her mitigating factors – to try and downplay the fact she broke several laws, (including administering cosmetic injections illegally) and turned up to the UAE with an expired passport.

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