UN urges UAE to release British national detained since 2008

The United Nations has urged the United Arab Emirates to release a British businessman who has been detained in the Gulf state since 2008. 

Ryan Cornelius, 68, was arrested at Dubai Airport in 2008. He was detained arbitrarily, according to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, who have urged Abu Dhabi to release him immediately. 

Cornelius was charged with defrauding a UAE bank by $500 million and sentenced to 10 years in jail in 2010, two years after his original arrest.

A few months before he was due to be released in 2018, his sentence was extended by a further 20 years, according to The National. 

His lawyer has alleged that the 68-year-old was subject to several human rights violations before he was charged with a crime, including prolonged solitary confinement and aggressive interrogations without his lawyer present.

Cornelius reportedly contracted tuberculosis while in detention. 

The UN’s working group stated that Ryan Cornelius’ rights were violated both during his initial arrest and the legal proceedings that followed, and expressed concerns about his deteriorating health. 

It urged Abu Dhabi to release him and pay compensation for his suffering.

“The Working Group considers that, taking into account all the circumstances of the case, the appropriate remedy would be to release Mr. Cornelius immediately and accord him an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations, in accordance with international law,” it said in a statement.