British expats and holidaymakers in Dubai are being targeted by police who demand to inspect their phones for photos of Iranian missile strikes, with offenders facing potential life imprisonment under UAE cyber crime laws, according to human rights group Detained in Dubai.
Radha Stirling, the group's director, said dozens of British nationals have been arrested since the conflict erupted last month. Police are stopping people in areas hit by drones or missiles and checking their phones. Those found with images are taken into custody, even if they did not take the photos themselves but received them from others.
Stirling reported that arrested individuals are held in overcrowded cells with no space to sleep and are denied medication, consular access, and phone calls. She also expressed concerns about physical assault, citing a smuggled note from a British detainee alleging beatings by police.
Among 20 people charged under cyber crime laws is a British man in his sixties and an airline employee who shared a photo of Dubai airport with a private group to ask about safety. UAE law prohibits sharing images that could 'disturb public security', with sentences of up to two years and fines of £40,000, but cases can be escalated to national security offences carrying life imprisonment.
Stirling claimed influencers are treated more leniently, simply told to delete photos, while expats and travellers are arrested even after cooperating. The Foreign Office confirmed it is providing consular assistance to five British nationals detained over such images, with some already released. However, Stirling criticised the UK's diplomatic response as insufficient.
