Sonya (1)
In the West, many places prohibit alcohol in public. Drinking is legally restricted to licensed bars or inside private homes, and in some Western cultures, drinking inside private homes is discouraged if any women or children are present.
In a Muslim country, one would hardly expect a more liberal attitude.
What actually happened is not clear, since Sonya and her husband give different versions.
Both agree that they were living in Sharjah, and that they had driven to Ajman, bought some beer, and brought it back to their flat in Sharjah. This is only permitted if one has a license, which they hadn’t bothered to obtain.
Sonya says that they carried the beer from the car into their flat, but some neighbour must have recognized the distinctive Ajman shopping bags, and called the police. She says that the Sharjah police arrived at her flat, noted the open cans of beer, and arrested her. ‘Where was your husband?’ I asked. ‘He was out.’
Her husband says they went out for a walk at 3:00 a.m., each holding a can of beer. Her husband saw the police and shouted, ‘Sonya, run,’ but she had already consumed several beers, so she remained and was arrested.
‘The police thought she was Russian, that’s why they stopped her,’ was her husband’s theory, though the beer can in her hand might have had more than a little to do with her arrest.
In any case, her husband got into their car and drove off.
Sonya, desperate, called him on her mobile, but he said, ‘If I come back for you, they’ll just arrest me, too.’ So he drove around all night.
The next morning, he arranged for a friend to go to the police station and bail Sonya out. She’d spent 7 hours in gaol, and was not pleased.
Her husband had given the friend some money, and the friend posted bail of about €210. He also had to deposit Sonya’s passport.
This was one year ago.
Sonya is now pregnant and desperate to leave the UAE.
Her husband says he has taken care of everything, and she will be flying home this Sunday.
But she’s heard that promise before.
In a Muslim country, one would hardly expect a more liberal attitude.
What actually happened is not clear, since Sonya and her husband give different versions.
Both agree that they were living in Sharjah, and that they had driven to Ajman, bought some beer, and brought it back to their flat in Sharjah. This is only permitted if one has a license, which they hadn’t bothered to obtain.
Sonya says that they carried the beer from the car into their flat, but some neighbour must have recognized the distinctive Ajman shopping bags, and called the police. She says that the Sharjah police arrived at her flat, noted the open cans of beer, and arrested her. ‘Where was your husband?’ I asked. ‘He was out.’
Her husband says they went out for a walk at 3:00 a.m., each holding a can of beer. Her husband saw the police and shouted, ‘Sonya, run,’ but she had already consumed several beers, so she remained and was arrested.
‘The police thought she was Russian, that’s why they stopped her,’ was her husband’s theory, though the beer can in her hand might have had more than a little to do with her arrest.
In any case, her husband got into their car and drove off.
Sonya, desperate, called him on her mobile, but he said, ‘If I come back for you, they’ll just arrest me, too.’ So he drove around all night.
The next morning, he arranged for a friend to go to the police station and bail Sonya out. She’d spent 7 hours in gaol, and was not pleased.
Her husband had given the friend some money, and the friend posted bail of about €210. He also had to deposit Sonya’s passport.
This was one year ago.
Sonya is now pregnant and desperate to leave the UAE.
Her husband says he has taken care of everything, and she will be flying home this Sunday.
But she’s heard that promise before.
posted by Dubai@Random at 7:16 pm
3 Comments:
I am curious to know: how long have Sonya and her husband been living in Sharjah? do they not know that Sharjah is much more strict than Dubai? That anywhere in the UAE one cannot go walking around in public drinking liquor? Also, sounds like Sonya is married to a man who will not stand by her! Once a person gets involved with the police in the UAE, their lives just get worse. There is no protection and certainly no human rights. I don't see any way that this thing can be cleared unless they leave the country or a miracle suddenly helps them out!
After Sonya's arrest, her husband took her from Sharjah to Ajman.
As I wrote, they certainly should have known better. Sonya's husband was fined several times for drinking in public back in a Western country, where it is also illegal.
But, when he was arrested in Sharjah, he was not only fined, he received 80 lashes, and he doesn't want that to happen to his wife.
If you go to other countries knowing full well the laws of that country you should obey them .
Post a Comment
<< Home