Architect Dr Robert Alan Black is being held prisoner by the United Arab Emirates and could be facing a 5 year sentence for photgrpahing a sign which prohibited photography.
He appeared to be amused by the sign, and was entirely unaware that it enforces an ultra-strict code which allows for a five-year sentence for anyone who breaks no-photography rules.
The 70-year-old from Athens was arrested and taken into custody for 7 days before his family was finally informed. It is said that he was interrogated for 7 days in secret in Arabic without a translator present.
Only after 7 days was he allowed just two phone calls. As Black sits and awaits his fate, his family have expressed fears for his health requirements as he suffers from diabetes.
The country is a close ally of the United States but the State Department has highlighted concerns about the treatment of people arrested there.
In its 2013 human rights report, the State Department noted ‘arbitrary arrests, incommunicado detentions, and lengthy pretrial detentions’ as well as ‘police and prison guard brutality.’ However, there have been no reports of mistreatment.
