A British mother held in Dubai for calling her ex-husband’s new wife “a horse” on Facebook is free to return home, a charity has said.
The Detained in Dubai charity, which has worked to get her released, said the judge has ordered Laleh Shahravesh to pay a fine of AED 3,000 (£624) and that her passport be returned.
“She is then free to return to the UK,” the charity said in a statement.
“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.”
Ms Shahravesh, 55, from Richmond, had faced up to two years in jail and a £50,000 fine over allegedly insulting posts written three years ago after she discovered her ex-husband had remarried.
She was held at Dubai airport along with her 14-year-old daughter Paris after flying to the country on March 10 for the funeral of her ex-husband, who died from a heart attack aged 51.
The charity said Ms Shahravesh’s family is “ecstatic” and her daughter is “relieved” at the news.
CEO Radha Stirling issued a warning to travellers to the UAE: "We are pleased that Laleh will be allowed to return home to be reunited with her daughter Paris; but serious concerns remain regarding the many risks for foreigners in the UAE, as well as the apparent docility of the UK consular staff in the Emirates and the refusal of the FCO to update its travel warnings for British citizens to provide them with a more accurate evaluation of the dangers they face in the UAE.”
She added: “In Laleh’s case, the court issued what amounts to a symbolic fine, but UAE Cybercrime laws are still a loaded gun pointed at the head of anyone using the Internet.
“Anyone exercising their freedom of speech, who lives in, visits, or indeed, who may ever step foot in the UAE is at risk.
“Everyone travelling to or through the UAE is endangered by (their cybercrime laws); and not everyone who falls victim to these laws is guaranteed media coverage.
“In the absence of international support, they will be subjected to the full force of the law.”
