The mother of a Belfast man detained in Dubai over a negative Google review he posted about his former place of employment has pleaded with authorities for the case to be dropped.
Craig Ballentine (33) left a negative review online relating to a dog grooming centre he worked for previously.
When he returned to Dubai on holiday, he was arrested under the country’s “slander” laws.
His mother, Margaret Ballentine, called on the UK’s Foreign Office and the United Arab Emirates ambassador to the UK to help, saying the family was suffering “sleepless nights and anxiety”.
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“I am very worried for my son, and I’m calling on the Foreign Office to help him and for the UAE ambassador to see that the charges against my son are just very silly,” she said.
“This has all been so stressful. The thought of Craig going to prison over a Google review is just horrendous.”
The situation was not something she had “ever imagined possible”.
Mr Ballentine is being represented pro bono by the legal aid organisation Detained in Dubai, which also represented Irish woman Tori Towey, who returned to Ireland this summer after charges against her were dropped by Dubai prosecutors for attempted suicide and illegally consuming alcohol in the United Arab Emirates city, after she alleged sustained domestic violence there.
Ms Towey has spoken of her support for Mr Ballentine.
Close friend Sean Morgan said Mr Ballentine had been treated “appallingly”, and that he was “doing everything I can to help get him home”.
“We need tourists to be aware they could be jailed for an internet post. They need to know this before even booking a flight,” Mr Morgan said.
Radha Stirling, chief executive of Detained in Dubai, advised tourists and expats who have visited or lived in the UAE before to check their police status before travelling.
“If Craig [had known] it was a good idea to check his criminal status in advance of flying to Dubai, he would have found out there was a case against him and we could have dealt with it from the safety of abroad,” she said.
Travel agencies and the Foreign Office should recommend this on their websites, Ms Stirling said.
Detained in Dubai has dealt with more than 20,000 cases since 2008 and suggests its annual case numbers would drop significantly if repeat visitors to the country checked their status before travel.
“We are pushing for diplomatic intervention in Craig’s case. Nobody should be locked up abroad or even pushed through the judicial process over an online review,” Ms Stirling added.
A spokesperson for Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill said her office would “closely monitor the case and will stay in contact with the family to provide support and advice”.
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