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NStroop
19th May 2011, 22:14
Hello
If anyone reads this, being OLD news, will be surprising, but, however...
I know this is long past news for all of you but for me, I still can't get past some of it (some of what has been said/assumed), especially after tonight.
I am a good person. I have worked with many Muslim programs, in many Muslim countires and in far stricter/more adherant countries/areas than the UAE. My staff in several countries miss me, respect me, and their families as well because I respect their religion and customs and always treated them thusly. I have NEVER had a problem since 1998, in all my travels (which are plentiful enough) into war zones/hazard areas or elsewhere until DUBAI.
A friend of mine on FB- of all places- posted 'I dare you all to Google yourself...'I swore I never would after my experience in Dubai. I had read more stories about myself, my family, my arrest than I ever wanted to remember but this is years later and thought to myself- 'Why not?'...and then I found your forum.
I appreciate MOST people I know (and don't know) have NEVER had the experience I have had there (exactly the opposite) and they, all I can say, are very lucky.
Two men are dead this month alone due to Dubai police corruption and I count myself lucky indeed. Luckily, I only had to deal with the arrogant, corrupt and 100% xenophobic people at Immigration. Luckily.

FACTS:
I arrived in Dubai for a very long layover on my way to SA to see my Fiancee from KAF after about 2 weeks of intermittant shelling/rocket attacks and no sleep as a result.

I WAS stopped after departing the airport and returning by taxi by immigration/security inside the terminal. I left and arrived back via Customs/Immigration and was stamped leaving before arriving back.

They DID tell me there was a 'Problem with your passport' and then told me nothing else about the issue, despite my repeated requests for why/what/how to fix it during approximately 4 hours of interrogation BEFORE I went TO 'Interrogation'. (which lasted another 3+hours with no water, no food, nothing.)

I DID tell the man off from Immigration (And would do it again!). (The 2IC in all of Dubai for Immigration, I found out later)--- (after about the 4+ hours of him yelling and intimidating me in his office for a reason I have yet to be informed of.)

I DID drink (and eat) that night in the airport at the Irish Village bar at the gate (And provided the man with my receipt when they asked me if I had been drinking, without reservation.)

I DID NOT test positive for being 'under the influence' after a breathalyzer AND blood test (I was so dehydrated, the medic apologised as he blew my vein in two places to get the sample- I couldn't bend my arm for days- small, but painful side effect).

They had to drop the charge of being 'Intoxicated' ( I was told later by an Emirati who helped me, whom I had come to know through an associate from Kandahar) as a result and charge me with 'Consumption of Alcohol' instead as there was no sign I was under any influence of Alcohol. Period. But I GAVE them my receipt saying I had drank beer at the airport and my fate was sealed. (5 over a period of about 7 hours)

I WAS made to sign a 100% Arabic confession (x 3- to this day, have no idea what I signed) before even leaving the airport/office; I asked for a copy of the first one and he threw it across the desk and said 'Be my guest.' I tried to take a picture of it with my camera to get a copy, at which time, I was arrested, cuffed and brought to the detention centre. (That is when I started yelling back at him- big mistake- he was taping the entire thing and laughed in my face for it. :mad:!! Not that I said anything that I wouldn't expect anyone else to say nor would I do anything differently today in the same situation, regardless.) He baited me, I was exhausted and I bit.

I was (in the interrogation rooms) told repeatedly to confess, admit guilt to what 'I had done', write it down and they could maybe let me go (by female officers sitting with me). I repeatedly asked what I had done wrong, whatever it was, I would write it- ANYthing!- they told me I was making things difficult for myself and to stop making it worse by being difficult. NO ONE EVER (not even the Prosecutor whom I met with at my begging) TOLD ME WHAT I HAD DONE WRONG to be pulled into that office in the first place- no idea to date why I was detained to begin with, no one ever explained what 'The problem with your passport' was...- not yet, even not til now- to get me there, in detention, in court, stuck in a hell hole of a place, paying my entire savings to stay in because those :mad: took my passport and said I was a criminal!!!!

All I needed to do was get this off my chest. I Thank those of you who spoke up for me way back in 2008 (I have read it all) and for those of you who criticised and judged without hearing ANYthing but the media's half verison- I hope you rot somewhere. ;) Really, I honestly do. And am sure my family and friends would as well, though, obviously, can not outright speak on their behalf. (But pretty sure.)

You have NO idea what will happen to you there- UAE resident or not- until THEY decide to MESS. WITH. YOU.
And Good Luck if they do! No emabassy, no government will help you- it's you against THEM- and 'THEM' have a lot of power.

Best of luck to all of you (even those who judged me) in all your endeavours and safe flying, I mean it- regardless of your stance on my situation- I needed to get this off my chest once and for all- you may be a small group, but at least I had MY say, whether anyone reads it/doesn't, is irrelevant.
All the best,
Nicole Stroop

Chuchinchow
20th May 2011, 11:27
What was all that about?

NStroop
20th May 2011, 12:04
A very delayed response to a series of threads posted on this site about my arrest and detainment in Dubai in 2008. I wanted to get it out there that the media had it wrong , some of the posters had it wrong but I appreciated the supportive messages some had left on here.
That's it. :)

JWP1938
20th May 2011, 12:09
SIDNEY WOMAN BEING HELD IN DUBAI… « Liberty Canada! (http://libertycanada.wordpress.com/2008/10/15/sidney-woman-being-held-in-dubai/)

Manchikeri
20th May 2011, 13:23
So why is it being raked up again? What is the point? What benefit will the OP derive?

The OP professes to live in Mozambique, but in the article it was reported that she lives in Sidney. All very peculiar. What further discrepancies are there in this tale?

NStroop
20th May 2011, 13:37
The article was written three years ago. I am FROM Sydney, Nova Scotia (Actually, my FAMILY is from there, not me- I lived in Dartmouth, NS)- I was working in Kandahar at the time and have lived in Mozambique since October 2008, when I was finally released. There are many discrepancies in the articles written but mostly to do with why I was arrested, not my home of record -and my actual name (They all used my Facebook name, which is my maiden name and married name) As for why bring it up now/what do I get from it- because I only found the forum with my name all over it now.

Hope this clears it up for you.
Take care...

Manchikeri
20th May 2011, 13:53
FROM Sydney, Nova Scotia (Actually, my FAMILY is from there, not me- I lived in Dartmouth, NS)- I was working in Kandahar at the time and have lived in Mozambique since October 2008

:confused::confused::confused::confused:

TightSlot
20th May 2011, 14:22
Jolly Good! I'm glad we cleared all of that up then