UAE Court Upholds 4-Year Jail Terms for 3 Britons
A Dubai court on Monday upheld four-year jail terms for three Britons, convicted on drugs charges, who were allegedly tortured during their detention, a newspaper based in the emirate reported.
In April, a lower court convicted the trio of possessing for consumption more than one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of synthetic cannabis known as Spice, jailing each one for four years.
"The Dubai Appeal Court rejected the Britons' appeals and upheld the four-year jail term against each of them after they were convicted of possessing and taking drugs," Gulf News reported on its website.
The three men will be deported after serving their sentences, it added.
Monday's verdict is still subject to appeal before the Cassation Court within 28 days, Gulf News said.
The British government had raised the case of Grant Cameron, Karl Williams and Suneet Jeerth, during an April visit by United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan to Britain.
Britain-based campaign group Reprieve had said the three men had been "subjected to torture including beatings and electric shocks" by police.
Reprieve investigator Kate Higham decried the lack of investigation into the men's detention in a statement in April.
"The central fact of this case remains that these men were tortured by police, but there has been no proper investigation into their abuse," she said.
Reprieve had urged UAE authorities "to grant these men clemency, release them and allow them to return home to their families".
The UAE's human rights record has come under scrutiny recently with the seven-emirate federation trying dozens of Islamists for allegedly plotting to seize power.
The verdict in the Islamists' trial is due on Tuesday.
Source: Agence France Presse
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