Britons showed no signs of abuse in UAE
2013-03-14 20:23
Dubai - A police officer told a court in the United Arab
Emirates (UAE) on Thursday that three Britons, who allege they were tortured
after their arrest on drug charges, exhibited no injuries or signs of
mistreatment.
Grant Cameron, Karl Williams and Suneet Jeerh were taken
into custody in July 2012 during a holiday in the UAE after police said they
found a form of synthetic cannabis in their hire car.
They say that police subjected them to beatings and
threatened them with guns, according to Reprieve, a London-based legal charity
which campaigns for prisoner rights.
All three have pleaded not guilty to charges of
possession of illegal drugs at a trial at the Dubai Criminal Courts.
At a hearing on Thursday, policeman Osman Ali Abdulla,
who took part in the arrest, denied that any of the men were abused or beaten
and said they were treated well.
Responding to questions from Issa bin-Haider, a lawyer
representing Jeerh, Abdulla said the men showed no form of injury following
their arrest.
All three men were present in court on Thursday and
appeared to be in good health.
Abdulla added that two of the three were provided with
medication for pre-existing ailments.
"While the men were being questioned we found out
that Suneet had asthma and needed an inhaler, so we provided him with one and a
second accused had low sugar level and we also provided him with aid for
that," he told the court.
There is zero tolerance for drug-related offences in the
UAE, a regional business hub and tourist destination where millions of
expatriates live and work.
There are severe penalties for drug trafficking and
possession.
Reprieve has said that following the alleged mistreatment
of the men, the three were pressured to sign documents in Arabic, a language
they did not understand.
The court session was adjourned to 8 April, when more
witnesses will be questioned.
Last year, a British citizen and a Syrian were sentenced
to death by a UAE court after they were convicted of selling drugs to an
undercover policeman. This month the sentences were commuted to four years in
prison.
Executions are rare in the UAE, which maintains that its
judiciary is independent.
