UK mother arrested in Dubai for insulting love rival on Facebook

A BRITISH mother is facing jail in Dubai after calling her ex-husband an “idiot” and his new wife a “horse” on Facebook, campaigners say.

Laleh Sharavesh, 55, from London, was detained by authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) last month when she tried to attend the funeral of her former partner.

Her arrest stemmed from two Facebook comments she made on pictures of her husband remarrying in 2016, which his new wife sent to police, according to Detained in Dubai, a campaign group. She had been in Britain when she posted the comments, but her former husband and his wife were living in Dubai.

Under the laws of the desert kingdom, someone can be jailed for making defamatory comments online, even if they were not in the country at the time. It means Ms Sharavesh could now face a jail sentence of up to two years and a fine of £50,000, the campaign group said.

She has been forced to remain in Dubai in a hotel as she awaits a court appearance, it is claimed. Her passport has also been confiscated and her 14-yearold daughter had to fly home by herself.

Ms Sharavesh said: “I am terrified. I

‘I have gone down two dress sizes because of the stress. My daughter cries herself to sleep every night’

can’t sleep or eat. I have gone down two dress sizes because of the stress. My daughter cries herself to sleep every night.”

The Foreign Office said it was supporting Ms Sharavesh, who is the first British woman known to have been arrested for posting offensive content online from outside the UAE.

Ms Sharavesh was married to Pedro Manuel Coreia Dos Santos, her Portugese husband, for 18 years. They had one daughter together, named Paris.

The couple lived in Dubai for eight months during which time she worked for HSBC. Ms Sharavesh and Paris returned to live in London several years ago, but her husband did not follow and the two divorced.

It is claimed the first she knew of his new marriage was when she opened Facebook and saw pictures of Mr Dos Santos’ wedding. Ms Sharavesh allegedly wrote in Farsi: “I hope you go under the ground you idiot. Damn you. You left me for this horse.” Another comment reportedly said: “You married a horse you idiot.”

Mr Dos Santos died in March at the age of 51.

Radha Stirling, CEO of Detained in Dubai, said: “When the UAE introduced cybercrime laws, it rendered almost every visitor to the country a criminal.”

Ms Sharavesh is due back in court on April 11.