Tori Towey details risk of false ‘relaxed perception’ in Dubai travel warning

FREED Tori Towey has issued an urgent Dubai travel alert for Irish citizens after her horrific ideal, warning of the potential problems that could unfold.

The 28-year-old was hit with a travel ban in Dubai and was facing charges of attempting suicide and consuming alcohol following an alleged attack by her husband.

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The Roscommon native was working as an Emirates Airlines flight attendant when she was arrested on June 27.

She was held in a cell and was hit with a travel ban upon release from the Al Barsha police station.

Tori had managed to make contact with her mother Caroline who alerted the Irish Embassy and flew to Dubai.

Following a diplomatic intervention by Irish officials, Tori was able to fly home to Ireland with her mother, after the travel ban was lifted and all charges dropped.

Tori has now issued an urgent warning to anyone considering travelling to the UAE.

Speaking to The Joe Finnegan Show on Shannonside FM, she warned that the new “relaxed” perception of the travel hotspot does not mean the law has become more flexible.

She said: “I think the perception is that Dubai in recent years has become very relaxed, there’s a lot of bars, nightclubs, but at the end of the day the laws are still the same as places like Saudi Arabia.

“So, everything is okay until it’s not okay over there.”

Tori continued: “So, what happens over there is it just takes one bad person to come into your life or maybe somebody that doesn’t like you, they can go to the police and they can tell the police, make up that you said maybe a bad word to them.

“Instantly a case will be taken against you even without evidence and you’ll be put on a travel ban and I think this is what people aren’t aware of.”

Tori was joined by her mother Caroline, who detailed the difficulty she faced trying to help her daughter during the ordeal.

Caroline said: “I was going down a rabbit hole trying to find who I could contact who could do anything.”

The Irish Embassy provided her with a list of solicitors, but Caroline struggled to find one who would be able to deal with Tori’s situation.

She said: “I did get two solicitors, we went to see them but before they’d even talk about Tori’s case they wanted equal to €5,000 up front.”

Caroline then got in contact with Radha Stirling, CEO of campaign group Detained in Dubai, who started a campaign to raise awareness on the case.

Further travel warnings

Rhada Stirling has also called for more travel warning for Irish citizens travelling to the country.

The human rights advocate believes that current warnings “aren’t strong enough”.

She said: “Tori’s case highlights what are very real risks for people travelling to Dubai.”

“I know there is a huge Irish ex-pat community in Dubai and that it is a popular destination for young people. I think the travel warnings on the Irish embassy aren’t strong enough. I absolutely think they need to be increased.”

There are a number of things in Dubai that are considered an offence that people travelling to the location may not be aware of.

These include spreading rumours, swearing in public or giving the middle finger and public displays of affection such as holding hands.