The United Nations has called for the release of a British father of three whose family fears he will die in a Dubai prison after his sentence was extended by 20 years. Ryan Cornelius, 72, was jailed in 2008 on fraud charges related to Dubai Islamic Bank, which he has always denied. After serving his ten-year sentence, his term was shockingly extended in 2018 without trial, following a request from the bank.
UN Condemns Detention
The UN has urged the Emirati Government to "release Ryan without delay," describing his detention as arbitrary and "marred by serious judicial irregularities." He is held in Al Awir Prison, dubbed Dubai's Alcatraz, a 45-minute drive into the desert, far from the city's glitz. Instead of shark-infested waters, miles of scorched sand surround the jail, where Ryan was kept in a shipping container-sized cell for 17 years with 10 other inmates.
His family says he contracted tuberculosis after a cellmate died from the condition, and he went without medical treatment for 18 months. There are also allegations of torture and solitary confinement for over two weeks at a time. If not freed until 2038, Ryan will be 84.
Family's Anguish
His wife Heather said he has missed milestones for their three children, now aged 36, 34, and 24. She has not seen his face since a video call four years ago, and revealed his first grandchild was born on Monday. "It's so devastating that Ryan will not meet this baby or even has met my son's partner," said Heather, who chooses not to name her children in the press. "I am so excited as a grandmother, but it is still a great sadness for me that this is happening, and he is not out of jail."
She added: "The last time we were a family was 18 years ago, the kids were still teenagers and our youngest was only six, so they have done all that growing up talking to their dad on the phone. Christmases are always awful, we make the most of things, we're not a miserable lot, but there's always this dreadful missing part because he's not there. It breaks my heart that Ryan cannot see how amazing his kids are, they are all very like their dad."
Diplomatic Calls
The UN Human Rights Council also said it did not recognize the notion of being "imprisoned to enforce a civil debt" to a bank. A panel of experts called on both the British Government and Emirati authorities to find a diplomatic resolution to "end Mr Cornelius' suffering." Heather described her husband as a "strong person" who "keeps a zest for life" by talking to her and the children.
However, she is pessimistic about support from the British Government and Foreign Office, particularly Alistair Burt, recently appointed the UK's first Envoy for Complex Consular Cases. Mr Burt was previously Minister of State for the Middle East. In an open letter, Heather wrote that much of her husband's case happened "under your watch," comparing the appointment to making Peter Mandelson US ambassador as a "neat idea." She added: "But please don't reinforce my scepticism with performative offers to meet me. Just free my husband so that we can be together for the few years which remain to us, and I will forgive you the past."
Chris Pagett, Ryan's brother-in-law, said questions should have been raised from the start over the judicial process. He said: "The UN working group on arbitrary detention, that looked back on everything and the judgement, was quite clear that he never received a fair trial. All that was there to see and find for the UN was there for the British Government to find, but the UK was just not interested in doing anything. British policy seems to have been to look the other way. Heather received her first direct contact from the Foreign Office 14 years after Ryan was arrested."
The Daily Express has approached the Foreign Office, the UAE Government, and Dubai Bank for comment.
