The ex-husband of a flight attendant who faced jail in Dubai for attempted suicide after allegedly abusing her says he is now stuck in the United Arab Emirates and could be arrested imminently.
Irishwoman Tori Towey, 28, was charged with alcohol abuse and attempted suicide on June 28 after she was allegedly attacked by her South African partner at their home in Dubai.
Her case sparked international outrage and with the help of charities and diplomatic intervention by the Irish government she was released and returned home about two weeks later.
Now her husband has said he is trapped in the country after being given a travel ban and losing his home and job (homelessness and non-payment of debts are also crimes in the UAE).
Emmerich Basson, 23, who was an Emirati worker like his ex-partner, said he was in a “desperate situation” and had called for diplomatic intervention from the South African government, but had so far received “no help”.
South African national Emmerich Basson, 23, who was an Emirates worker like his ex-partner, has said he is “stuck” in Dubai.
Tori Towey, 28, has been charged with attempted suicide and has been given a travel ban by Dubai authorities.
Towey has since been allowed to return home following an international outcry.
Towey was photographed with severe bruising all over her body following the alleged abuse by her husband.
He said he was given the travel ban after “crossing the road in front of a Chinese lady’s car” after going out to dinner with friends in May last year.
At the time, he said, “I didn’t think much of it. I got in a taxi and went home.”
But after traveling abroad for work for several days, he was unable to re-enter the country and was detained by immigration officials.
Basson says he was put in a room for ten hours “without food or water” and not allowed to sleep.
He says he was then asked to remove his uniform and put in handcuffs before being taken to an “open van in the middle of the night” where he was kept alongside “hardened criminals”.
He said Dubai authorities are refusing to drop the case involving the driver and have told him they are still investigating it a year later.
“I don’t have a passport,” he said. “I have a travel ban in my name. I lost my house. I had to give my dog up for adoption and right now I’m staying in a hotel room.
“I can only stay here for the next two days, after which I will be homeless, which is a crime in the UAE.”
He continued: “Since May of last year, following this incident, I have been under a great deal of stress, emotionally, physically and financially. I have lost my job and am unable to pay my debts.
Basson said he was given the travel ban after “crossing the road in front of a Chinese lady’s car” after going out to dinner with friends in May last year.
“In the next two days I will be arrested for not paying my debt,” he said. His family has “begged and contacted” the South African government without success and sees “no light at the end of the tunnel.”
Radha Stirling, from Detained in Dubai, the organisation that campaigned on Towey’s behalf, said Basson had been charged with insulting a driver, which is a criminal offence in Dubai.
“It’s a disgrace that he has not been prosecuted for the devastating abuse inflicted on Tori Towey, but instead charged with swearing,” Stirling said.
“It’s better than nothing, but it’s also an indicator of the changes in law enforcement that are desperately needed in Dubai.”
Basson has denied all allegations of domestic violence. Towey and Basson married in March this year, according to South African media.
Towey spoke out this week about his alleged abuse, telling the BBC that it began with “a lot of control issues”.
Her husband allegedly abused her at their home in Dubai
“Obviously, I didn’t see anything like that at first. That was when we moved in together,” he said.
“I was isolated from my friends and family. I wasn’t allowed to use the phone. I was isolated from the rest of the world.”
She said arguments with her new husband soon escalated into emotional, mental and physical abuse.
“I didn’t see a way out, nothing was getting better, it wasn’t ending,” she said. “At one point I thought there was no way out, that I couldn’t leave, that I couldn’t do anything, that I was trapped.”
Towey tried to take her life but woke up to several police officers and paramedics surrounding her.
Tori flew into Dublin Airport in the afternoon with her mother Caroline and expressed her gratitude to those who helped her get home.
“Without you, I wouldn’t be here now,” he told reporters.
“I woke up and they had put me on oxygen. I was in my pajamas, so they put one of my dresses on me and told me to put it on,” she said.
They then put her in a police car and took her straight to the police station. There the police stripped me and took all my jewelry,” she said.
‘I had a belly button piercing and they had a hard time getting it out. They would pull and tear it and hurt me. I was like, ‘It’s okay, I’ll take it out myself.’
After finally being released and able to return home, Towey spoke out about her ordeal in Dubai.
“Obviously when my mom told me about her situation it was a big help, but it was just unknown and I didn’t know anything, I didn’t know what was going to happen,” he said.
“It was between yesterday and today that I got some clarity. I wasn’t getting any answers, but I’m happy to be back.”
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