I asked the neighbors to calm down in Dubai – risking imprisonment

Ian McKellar, 75, recently traveled from Scotland to the UAE to visit his daughter and granddaughter.

He was to return home on January 10. But that was not the case after what happened on New Year's Eve.

One of the daughter's neighbors had a loud party before twelve o'clock. Ian's daughter had to work early in the morning and the grandson couldn't sleep because of the noise from the party.

So Ian and his daughter wrote to the neighbor asking her to be considerate of the young children and people who had to work the next day.

But the volume remained high. Then Ian went to the neighbor and knocked on the door. When no one responded, he went to the back of the house where the party was being held in the garden.

He asked them to continue the party inside so that the daughter and granddaughter could sleep. Then several people at the party started pushing and yelling at Ian.

Risks of several years in prison

Ian told his neighbor this was “unacceptable” and that he would report the incident to the police. But the daughter convinced him not to do so.

Instead, the neighbor reported Ian to the police for trespassing. He now faces the risk of imprisonment for several years.

– This is a very sad situation. “No one could ever imagine that a polite request to lower the volume would result in a travel ban and prosecution,” says attorney Radha Stirling.

Radha Stirling says Ian McKellar's case is further proof that “a simple trip to Dubai can be a no-go.”

“If the charges are not dropped, Ian will likely end up in a prison notorious for human rights abuses, something he simply does not deserve,” says Radha Stirling.