British woman detained in Dubai for calling partner's new wife a 'horse' freed to return to UK
Laleh Shahravesh was detained in Dubai over Facebook posts she wrote three years ago in which she called her ex-husband's new wife 'a horse'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The British woman held in Dubai for calling her ex-husband’s new wife a “horse” is to be freed to go home to the UK, her supporters say.
Laleh Shahravesh was arrested in the United Arab Emirates over a 2016 Facebook post when she travelled with her 14-year old daughter Paris to attend the funeral of her ex-husband Pedro Manuel Coreia Dos Santos.
It was feared that under Dubai’s cybercrime laws, Ms Shahravesh could have been sentenced to years in jail.
But Detained in Dubai, the group supporting Ms Shahravesh, has now announced that after a Dubai court hearing on Friday, a judge ordered that she should pay a fine but have her passport returned, effectively allowing her to go home a free woman.
Detained in Dubai issued a statement saying Ms Shahravesh should get home early next week.
In a press release, the group said: “After an emotional but anticlimactic court hearing this morning, in which the judge adjourned Laleh’s case until a later date, Detained in Dubai received the welcome news that the judge has ordered Laleh to pay a fine of 3,000 dirhams [£625], and that her passport should be returned. She is then free to return to the UK
“At the time of writing, Laleh’s attorney has paid the fine, and procedures are underway to recover her passport. She should be home by early next week.
“Laleh’s family is ecstatic. Daughter Paris is relieved, and all involved express their gratitude for the outpouring of public support.”
Detained in Dubai later said Ms Shahravesh was “over the moon with relief”, quoting her as saying: “I can’t believe it, I can’t believe I’ll be seeing [my daughter] Paris in a few days and that this nightmare has come to an end”.
Ms Shahravesh, 55, wrote the two Facebook posts in 2016 after visiting the social media website and being surprised to discover photos of her ex-husband’s wedding to a 42-year-old Tunisian woman.
In the heat of the moment, she wrote two comments in Farsi, saying: “I hope you go under the ground you idiot. Damn you. You left me for this horse,” and “you married a horse you idiot”.
In Dubai, cybercrime laws mean an old social media post made by a person before they visit the country could still see them fined or jailed for years.
It has been reported that the new wife complained to the Dubai police about the two Facebook posts.
Ms Shahravesh and her daughter were both arrested at the airport when they arrived in the UAE in March. Detained in Dubai said the pair were held by police for 12 hours.
After they were released from police custody, Ms Shahravesh remained in the UAE on bail, while her daughter returned alone to their home in Richmond, south-west London.
As news of the case spread worldwide, the new wife, Samah Al Hammadi, said she decided to make a formal complaint against Ms Shahravesh after the ex-wife allegedly sent Mr Santos unpleasant emails over a period of about a year.
Ms Al Hammadi said the emails included one to her husband’s boss at the HSBC bank.
She told the Evening Standard: “She has been sending emails, even to his boss in the bank, saying I am a b****, that I took him from her. He sent emails asking her to stop. It did not stop.”
But on Monday Ms Al Hammadi appeared to indicate she was willing to drop the case in order to honour her dead husband’s love for his daughter.
She told Sky News: “One of the last messages [my husband] tearfully gave me before his death was that he deeply loved his daughter. I am willing to withdraw this case to honour my husband’s love for his daughter.”
During their 18-year marriage, Ms Shahravesh and Mr Santos had spent time living together in Dubai, where he worked.
Ms Shahravesh and her daughter returned to the UK after the marriage ended.
Explaining to Detained in Dubai why she had made the ‘horse’ Facebook posts, Ms Shahravesh said: “After 18 years of marriage [and] such a small amount of time apart, he was getting married so quickly. He didn’t even have enough respect for me to tell me in advance.”
Calling the case “absurd”, Radha Stirling, CEO of Detained in Dubai, said that while Ms Shahravesh was now expected to go home, the UAE’s cybercrime laws remained a threat to others.
“Everyone travelling to or through the UAE is endangered by them,” said Ms Stirling, “And not everyone who falls victim to these laws is guaranteed media coverage.
“When cases like this are resolved either through the charges being dropped or the levelling of a light sentence after a concerted international media campaign, while the situation for the individual victim is over, the system that caused that victimisation remains in place.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments