Mother of Belfast man detained in Dubai over Google review calls for help

Friends and family rally behind Belfast man arrested in Dubai over Google review

Friends and family have rallied behind Craig Ballentine, an autism support worker from Northern Ireland who faces prosecution in Dubai over a negative Google review.

His mother, Margaret Ballentine, called on the Foreign Office and UAE Ambassador to help.

“I am very worried for my son and I’m calling on the Foreign Office to help him and for the UAE Ambassador to see that the charges against my son are just very silly. This has all been so stressful. The thought of Craig going to prison over a Google review is just horrendous, we are all suffering sleepless nights and anxiety. It’s just not something I ever imagined possible. How can someone be so vindictive as to lock another up over a negative social media review? Why couldn’t she just ask him to take it down? Why criminalise someone and try to jail them? This is going too far. He didn’t use bad language, he just expressed his views which is what you’re supposed to do on review sites. We call on the government, the Foreign Office and Dubai authorities to please let our son come home”.

Craig Ballentine pictured with the Princess of Wales when volunteering with scouts: Daily Mail.

Close friend Sean Morgan also had something to say.

A close friend of Craig’s is furious. Sean Morgan, who has known Craig for years, is helping as much as he can, but is upset at the thought that an online post could see his friend locked up in Dubai’s notorious jails. “Since Craig’s arrest, I’ve learned that it’s actually common for tourists to be arrested for leaving a 1 or 2 star reviews of tourist facilities like hotels or restaurants. I had no idea. How can a tourist destination make it illegal to say anything bad about service providers? 99% of tourists aren’t going to know this. I had no idea that the law could be applied to reviews made from outside the country too. It’s ridiculous. Craig is the kindest man you’ll ever meet. He’s always volunteering and helping others. He has been treated appallingly and he just doesn’t deserve it. I’m doing everything I can to help get him home. I’m asking people to share his story and raise awareness. We need to do more than that though, we need tourists to be aware they could be jailed for an internet post. They need to know this before even booking a flight. Why aren’t these nightmare stories all over the travel advisory website, the newspapers and travel agencies?”

Advanced Police Checks recommended for Dubai tourists.

Radha Stirling, CEO of Detained in Dubai, who is helping Craig has advised tourists and expats who have visited or lived in the UAE before to check their police status before travelling. “If Craig knew it was a good idea to check his criminal status in advance of flying to Dubai, he would have found out there was a case against him and we could have dealt with it from the safety of abroad. The vast majority of arrests on arrival are preventable by taking this simple precaution. Travel agencies and the Foreign Office should recommend this on their websites.

“We urge citizens to get in touch with us and arrange a police check before travel. This preventative action is a life saver for many”.

Detained in Dubai has dealt with over 20,000 cases since 2008 and suggests their annual numbers would drop significantly if repeat visitors to the country checked their status before travel.

“We are pushing for diplomatic intervention in Craig’s case. Nobody should be locked up abroad or even pushed through the judicial process over an online review. JD Vance was very effective in helping his constituents and the government of Ireland recently secured Tori Towey’s release. We are very hopeful for a positive outcome for Craig too”.