Fiance of U.S. citizen detained in UAE fears he will likely be extradited to Egypt By Reuters

DUBAI (Reuters) – An Egyptian-American nationwide detained whereas visiting the United Arab Emirates fears he will likely be extradited to Egypt for criticising authorities there forward of the nation internet hosting the COP27 local weather convention final month, his fiance stated on Sunday.

The UAE, an in depth ally of Egypt, arrested Sherif Osman, who resides in the US, on Nov. 6 on the request of an Arab League entity liable for coordinating regulation enforcement and safety issues, a UAE official confirmed to Reuters on Thursday.

The official stated Emirati authorities have been working to safe “requisite authorized documentation required in getting ready the extradition file”, with out specifying to which nation or if a particular extradition request had been made.

Osman’s fiance, Saija Virta, stated he was detained outdoors a restaurant in Dubai, the place she was with him, and was instructed by the general public prosecution that Egypt had requested the detention on prices together with “talking negatively towards authorities establishments”.

Egyptian authorities haven’t issued any statements on the case, first reported by the Wall Avenue Journal, and didn’t instantly reply to a Reuters request for remark.

The US was conscious of Osman’s arrest in Dubai, a U.S. State Division spokesperson stated on Thursday, and was “watching his case carefully and offering applicable consular assist”.

Osman had posted a YouTube video on Oct. 31 criticising Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and calling for peaceable protests in Egypt on Nov. 11, when U.S. President Joe Biden was attending the COP27 convention in Sharm El Sheikh.

“He (Osman) tells me he’s being handled properly…(however) we’re all very shocked and traumatized,” Virta, who’s Finnish-American, instructed Reuters, saying she spoke to him on Sunday.

“I wish to ask for diplomatic intervention as a result of… I do not suppose he would get a good trial in Egypt,” she stated.

Osman’s fiance stated she had travelled to the UAE with him to fulfill his sister, who lives in Dubai, and his mom who had deliberate to go to from Egypt.

Virta, who left Dubai on Nov. 16 to return to work in the US, stated Osman had solely on Wednesday been capable of signal energy of legal professional for a lawyer to entry his file.

The UAE official had stated the UAE “strictly adheres to all internationally accepted requirements” in detention instances together with common consular entry and authorized council.