Detained in Dubai's video: James and Stanley - Uni students detained in Dubai over rental car scam - live with Radha Stirling

“You will go to prison if you don’t pay” - Two economics Students face 1.5 years in Dubai jail after falling victim to tourist rental car extortion scam. Detained in Dubai calls on the UK government to intervene in outrageous abuse of young students facing prosecution after a run in with Dubai rental car company. “It’s on my terms. It’s my country, I know what’s going on. I know how this will pan out. You will go to prison if you don’t pay”, are words that traumatise Canterbury Christchurch University students James Dua-Wiafe and Stanley Kundishora. James & Stanley’s family and friends relayed their story to Detained in Dubai in a desperate plea for help: James, 21 and Stanley, 20 flew out to Dubai on the 31st of August 2020 to celebrate their joint birthdays with a group of friends. What was supposed to be a dream holiday turned quickly into a nightmare when the boys rented a Range Rover from a local rental car agency who has held them to ransom in the Emirates for almost two months as they face lengthy prison sentence for fabricated charges designed purely to extort funds from the boys and their families. Radha Stirling, founder of Detained in Dubai who represents the families said in a statement “Both James and Stanley can not afford the never ending demands of the rental company. They have been stuck in Dubai, missing out on studies and moving from hotel to hotel, costing over £600 per week. Visiting Dubai has been the most expensive mistake of their lives, both financially and emotionally. “This situation is all too common. We have dealt with a number of similar cases over the past decade of rental agencies extorting funds from desperate and unsuspecting tourists who just want to get home. When faced with threats of imprisonment, tourists will hand over their life savings to predatory rental car agencies. “Dubai has spent millions of pounds marketing the city as a tourist hotspot to British nationals, full of exhilarating and luxurious experiences, but has failed to respond to calls to ensure visitors are protected from vexatious police cases, extortion and legal bullying. “It is an absolute disgrace that locals still see British tourists as easy prey. Frivolous police cases are often registered against British nationals purely for extortive purposes. Whether it’s accusing someone of raising the middle finger, swearing, offensive behaviour or in this case, a rental agency taking advantage of some young boys, Dubai is host to experienced locals who will exploit the city’s flexible and corrupt judiciary”. “Sadly, racism is prevalent throughout the UAE. There is a clear racial hierarchy in the UAE with Emiratis at the top, followed by other gulf Arabs, then whites and lastly, Indians, Asians and Africans. This prejudice is reflected throughout social circles as well as the police and judicial system where black people are less likely to receive fair treatment. This is one of the reasons the United Kingdom has refused to extradite citizens to the UAE. “James and Stanley were told to expect up to a year and a half in Dubai prison. It’s very saddening to see young people traumatised this way. We are bringing this case to the attention of Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed, to ask him to intervene and help James and Stanley get home”. In an emotional phone call, James said “You can’t treat each other like this. Money is nothing (over people). You can’t hustle young people, it’s just morally wrong. "I don’t think I will ever want to come back. It's just been really stressful, for my parents too. I’ve never been in trouble with the police. "I know for a fact my mum hasn’t been coping at all. She’s been calling me, crying on the phone, my dad’s been stressed out. "Everyone’s quite worried. It’s just a thing where they can’t afford for me to stay here. She’s a community nurse, every bit of money from her overtime, she’s basically been sending to me. We have relatives in Zimbabwe too so she is supporting them as well.” Detained in Dubai has taken on the case of James and Stanley and are calling on Sheikh Mohammed to intervene, as well as the British FCO.