A British grandad who was reportedly beaten for asking for heart medication, tortured and forced to drink from toilet while imprisoned in Dubai is fighting for justice.
Albert Douglas, who was finally freed in December after nearly five years behind bars, wants a “real accountability” from the UAE, which lawyers say is riddled with corruption.
The 63-year-old was beaten, tortured and subjected to egregious human rights abuses in the tourist hotspot, all following a false allegation, which had terrible knock-on effects for him and his family.
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Now with the help of his son Wolfgang Douglas, he is challenging the UAE’s system using international law, as reported by Need To Know.
Radha Stirling – the founder of Detained in Dubai – is also calling for justice by pushing for a resolution with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture.
The advocate and lawyer is assisting Albert in his preparation of criminal, civil and regulatory complaints as well.
Albert has claimed that Brits have died whilst in custody in Dubai after being beaten, broken, electrocuted and raped.
As well as fighting Albert’s case, the trio is aiming to shed light on the “failings” of the FCDO and the UK government during Albert’s time inside.
In Feb 2021, Albert was wrongfully accused of bouncing cheques that did not belong to him.
The charges were fabricated to allow his companies, which were doing very well at the time, to be looted.
The grandfather’s family was threatened, while his and his son’s reputations were shattered by the false claims and prolonged period of arbitrary detention.
Albert returned home to London in December, after an intense campaign pushing for his release.
Radha Stirling said: “We are working to get justice for Albert. He has suffered greatly and we can not just allow it to continue.
“Albert wants to make sure the UAE is held to account and that the failings of the FCDO and the UK government are brought to light.
“In parallel with an intensive campaign to free this innocent grandfather, we applied to the United Nations Working Group for Arbitrary Detentions.
“After reviewing all the evidence and testimony, they communicated with the UAE and ultimately ruled Albert had been arbitrarily detained.
“It’s an astonishing ruling.
“It basically means one of our biggest trade partners took one of our citizens and, despite his innocence, locked him up for years, beat him, broke his bones, kicked his head in, stole his money, assets and businesses then spat him out back to the UK and expects to just get away with it much like Saudi Arabia did after [journalist Jamal] Khashoggi [was murdered].”
She added: “It is a plain and simple case.
“Albert and his son Wolfgang were targeted because of their success.
“I’ve said it for decades – success makes you vulnerable in Dubai.
“If someone wants to steal your assets and money, all they need to do is make a complaint at a police station.
“Due to the lack of judicial process and entrenched corruption within law enforcement, that is often all that is required.
“The UN has now cleared Albert and his son but it’s not enough.
“They are seeking real accountability.”
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