British mother Afsana Lachaux faces jail in Dubai after husband claims she kidnapped their son
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Version 0 of 1. The family of a British woman trapped in the United Arab Emirates and facing charges of kidnapping her young son have accused the UK authorities of abandoning her. Afsana Lachaux, 46, from Poplar, east London, was a British civil servant when she met a wealthy French currency dealer who she married in 2010. The couple moved to Dubai where she gave birth to their son, Louis. Four months later, the family claim, her husband became violent. They also claim he hid Louis’s French passport, and refused to allow him to be registered as a British citizen. Fearing for her own safety, they say, Ms Lachaux escaped, taking Louis with her. She tried to return to the UK, but her husband secured a travel ban from a Dubai court and requested that her passport be confiscated. He also initiated divorce proceedings and won custody of Louis. Mrs Lachaux turned to the UK consulate for help. At first, says her son Rabbhi Yahiya, 26, officials referred her to a refuge for victims of domestic violence. But, he added, they didn’t realise the refuge was legally bound to notify her husband once she checked in. Mrs Lachaux was forced on the run again. She again contacted the consulate and was advised to go to the police station to face charges of libel her ex-husband had brought. There she was physically assaulted by a police officer, her son claims and, Louis was denied food and water. Then in October, when his mother was meeting a friend, her ex-husband snatched Louis from her arms. She has not seen him since. Ms Lachaux’s ex-husband filed a further case against her for kidnapping, and if found guilty, she could face several years in prison. Mr Yahiya says he has written several letters to the Foreign Office to no avail. “As a family, we are disgusted with the way they have handled my mother’s case,” he said. In the past year, Prime Minister David Cameron and Foreign Secretary William Hague, have made official trips to Dubai in a bid to secure a lucrative sale of Eurofighter Typhoon military jets. “Most of our calls were never returned. They don’t want to jeopardise the sale,” claimed Mr Yahiya. Rori Donaghy, director of Emirates Centre for Human Rights, added: “The British government have failed to support Afsana, because they were seduced by the deal.” Meanwhile Nick McGeehan, Middle East Director for Human Rights Watch, said the “UAE’s laws discriminate against women”, meaning “Mrs Lachaux cannot be guaranteed a fair trial.” Mrs Lachaux’s MP, Labour’s Jim Fitzpatrick, told The Independent: “The way Afsana Lachaux has been treated is appalling. As a woman in a Muslim country the authorities there have taken the word of the man as true.” A Foreign Office spokesperson said: “We cannot interfere in the judicial process of another country. We will continue to provide consular assistance to the family.” |