Two Ohio brothers, one of whom is an Air Force veteran, have been sentenced to four months in a Dubai prison for a June drunken yacht incident, which is a crime in the United Arab Emirates.
Radha Sterling, CEO of the human rights group Detained in Dubai and an advocate for the brothers Joseph and Joshua Lopez, has called for support from members of the U.S. Congress, including Republican Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio, in alleging that the brothers were drugged and robbed the same night they were jailed for drinking. The drugging allegations have yet to be officially confirmed.
“Senator Vance’s office is in constant contact with the State Department, the UAE Embassy in the United States and the constituent’s family,” Parker Magid, a spokesman for Senator Vance, told Fox News Digital. “Senator Vance is closely monitoring the pending legal proceedings.”
Sterling said the Lopez brothers were appealing the sentence, claiming they were “targeted by fraudsters whilst on holiday in Dubai”.
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Joseph Lopez, an Ohio Air Force veteran and father, is currently in custody in Dubai along with his brother Joshua after drinking alcohol on a yacht. (Detained in Dubai)
“Local criminals, with the support of law enforcement, appear to be targeting tourists, but Dubai is far from the ‘safe destination’ it is advertised as,” Sterling said.
The State Department said in a statement that it was aware of the Lopez brothers’ recent arrests.
American arrested in Turks and Caicos Islands says it’s “unclear” whether he is on the “US side” or the “Turkish side,” the State Department said.
“We take seriously our role in supporting US citizens overseas and are monitoring the situation closely,” the spokesperson said. “Due to privacy and other considerations, we will not comment further at this time. US citizens are subject to the laws of any foreign country they visit or reside in, even if those laws may differ from those of the United States.”
The State Department said in a statement that it was aware of the Lopez brothers’ recent arrests. (Instagram/Joshua Lopez)
Neither the UAE Embassy nor the UAE Tourist Police responded to inquiries from Fox News Digital.
The State Department has issued a Level 2 travel advisory for the UAE due to the threat of terrorism. The State Department’s website for the UAE states that alcohol is “highly restricted” on certain private property and that “[p]Public intoxication and drink driving are considered very serious offences regardless of blood alcohol content.”
Joseph Lopez, 24, is raising his baby at home in the United States. (Detained in Dubai)
“People arrested for alcohol-related offenses are typically held in custody for days while awaiting court hearings. Penalties can include heavy prison sentences, large fines, and, in the case of Muslims (even those with U.S. citizenship), flogging,” the website states.
The State Department also cited the country’s “draconian” laws regarding drugs, public decency, photography, social media use and LGBTQ-related activities and preferences.
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Sterling said that if the brothers’ appeal is not successful, Joseph and Joshua, a 24-year-old military veteran and father, “face many months in Dubai’s prisons, which are notorious for human rights violations.”
Joshua and Joseph Lopez were sentenced to four months in a Dubai prison for drinking alcohol on a yacht, but the brothers claim they were drugged. (Instagram/Joshua Lopez)
“Tourists are flocking to Dubai and being accused of outrageous crimes they did not commit. Last year we saw Tierra Allen detained by a car rental company, Elizabeth de las Santos by immigration and Peter Clarke detained after residue of hashish was found in his blood after he had smoked it legally in Las Vegas just weeks before boarding a flight,” Sterling said.
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She has pressed the US to “increase travel warnings” for Americans going to Dubai.
“Not only do they get robbed and extorted, but they usually end up in prison,” she said.
Fox News’ Molly Markowitz contributed to this report.
