Sydney woman being held in Dubai
Passport seized, drunk and disorderly charge laid after run-in with authorities
By CHRIS LAMBIE Staff Reporter
Fri. Oct 10 - 7:59 AM
Nicole Stroop-Gillis (Family photo)
Authorities in Dubai have detained a Nova Scotia woman for the past 10 days after she had a run-in with airport security.
Nicole Stroop-Gillis had been working as a civilian supply technician at Kandahar Airfield in southern Afghanistan since July when she flew out Oct. 1 for a 19-day vacation. The 34-year- old was headed to South Africa to see her boyfriend and was only planning to stop in Dubai for about 15 hours.
"She hasn’t slept in two days, so she’s beyond being a basket case," her mother, Sharon Gillis, said Thursday in an interview from her home in Sydney.
"She’s terrified, to say the least."
The trouble started when Ms. Stroop-Gillis took a taxi from one airport terminal to another to meet a friend who was also flying that day.
"She went from one to the other and then came back, and was about to go out again and she was stopped by this security person," said her mom.
"He told her that that was very bad and she shouldn’t have done that. And she said, ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t know.’ "
The security officer questioned her and eventually accused her of disrespecting him, Ms. Gillis said.
Her daughter now faces a charge of being drunk and disorderly.
"She had had a couple of beer on the plane and, of course, that’s a no-no in Dubai," Ms. Gillis said.
Police took her to a nearby hospital where a blood sample was taken, said her mom.
She was placed in a deportation centre at the airport and authorities took away her passport, Ms. Gillis said.
"She had been told when she was booked in that they didn’t know why she was there and that she would likely go before the prosecutor in the morning, pay a fine and be gone. Well, that didn’t happen."
Officials released Ms. Stroop-Gillis from custody Oct. 2. She’s now staying in a Dubai hotel because she can’t leave the United Arab Emirates without a passport.
Canadian consular officials have told her the results of the case against her could range from charges being dropped, to a fine, to jail time.
Ms. Stroop-Gillis made her first court appearance Sunday, said her mother.
"She was quite sure that when she went in, it would be the fine and (she would be) gone and that would be it," Ms. Gillis said.
"When she got there, she was told that, no, it was being left up to this security guard. If he didn’t accept her apology, she would have to go to court because he was the second-highest-ranking security officer at the airport and this was very serious and he was very offended and she’d disrespected him greatly."
Ms. Stroop-Gillis has tried to apologize to him in person and in writing, said her mother.
"He refuses all contact. So it’s pretty impossible to go that route."
Ms. Stroop-Gillis was reluctant to discuss the matter when reached by telephone in Dubai.
"I’m sorry. I’m really afraid of what it will do," she said, referring calls to her mother.
On an Internet site, she wrote that if the official doesn’t accept her apology, she may have to wait months for another court date.
"He is the only person who can have the charges dropped or prevent the court hearing from going forward," she wrote in a Facebook posting. "Please, just cross digits/pray/write letters to MPs, whatever you have time or inclination for to help me get out of here. Any support or assistance is appreciated very much — not just by me but by those who love me."
A spokesman with the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade said Canada is aware of the temporary detention of the Canadian citizen in Dubai.
Rodney Moore said in an e-mail that consular officials in Dubai and Canada are actively providing assistance and support to Ms. Stroop-Gillis and her family but cannot provide further details on the case because of privacy rules.
"There is no acceptable legal limit of alcohol consumption," says an online travel report for Dubai prepared by Foreign Affairs. "Individuals may be required to take a blood and/or urine test if they are suspected of being under the influence of drugs or alcohol. If the tests are positive, travellers may be prosecuted."
Ms. Stroop-Gillis first got interested in international work after volunteering with the Red Cross to help thousands of Kosovar refugees airlifted to Nova Scotia in 1999.
"Some of them invited her over for a visit and that’s how she got involved," her mother said.
Ms. Stroop-Gillis worked in Kosovo for 3½ years at various jobs. She was working in the Darfur region of western Sudan until June.
"It’s not like she fell off the turnip truck," said her mom. "It’s not her first time out of the country. It’s certainly not her first time in Muslim countries."