Royal Visit to UAE Will Miss Out British Prisoners

Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall will visit the United Arab Emirates on November 6, as representatives of the British government, and – mindful of the prince’s passion for conservation – their hosts have arranged for a trip to the Bu Tinah archipelago, which, according to a Clarence House press release, is “home to endangered species such as the dugong and hawksbill turtle.”

One at risk species definitely not on the itinerary is hominis Brittania in carcere, or ‘British prisoners’, as they are more commonly known.

A June 2015 Freedom of Information request revealed that between June 2010 and June 2015, 43 British citizens complained to UK officials of torture or mistreatment within the UAE justice system. British businessman David Haigh described how Emirati police beat and tasered him after his arrest in 2014, and said one officer boasted “we kill Brits here.” Last year, a UK court ordered an investigation into the death of UK national Lee Bradley Brown, who died in solitary confinement in a Dubai police cell in 2011 amid allegations that officers had beaten him.

The Duchess of Cornwall’s trip will include a visit to the Dubai Foundation for Women and Children, which is “the first licensed non-profit shelter in the U.A.E. for victims of domestic violence, child abuse and human trafficking.” According to Clarence House, the Duchess has “worked to raise awareness of the issues facing those affected by sexual violence and domestic abuse.” Such issues in UAE include the fact that, in 2010, the UAE Federal Supreme Court affirmed that UAE law permits a husband to “chastise” his wife with physical abuse. In 2014, three UK women married to Western expatriates said UAE police discouraged them from reporting domestic violence and failed to properly investigate their complaints. Two subsequently lost hearings about their children’s residence in which the failure to properly investigate their allegations appears to have violated their right to a fair hearing.

All of which leaves you wondering if the British government, which requested the royal visit, cares about the UAE’s dismal rights record, and if they even briefed Clarence House about the UAE’s treatment of British citizens?