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- British glider pilot Jon Gatfield dies after crash during competition in Italy
- Ukraine demands full EU membership amid renewed accession discussions
- Armenia signs partnership agreement with the US ahead of elections
- Court restricts Alabama from using congressional map with one majority-Black district
- Janice Nix found guilty of manslaughter of five-year-old stepdaughter in 1978
- British father reportedly tortured in Dubai jail as family seeks proof of safety
- France pushes for stricter EU trade controls on goods from Israeli settlements
- Paxton challenges Cornyn in Texas GOP Senate runoff amid Trump support
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British glider pilot Jon Gatfield dies after crash during competition in Italy
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Get you up to speed: Champion British glider pilot dies after plane crashes into woodland | News World
A British glider pilot, Jon Gatfield, 68, died after his aircraft crashed into woodland on the slopes of Monte Grem in Bergamo, Lombardy, during the FAI Sailplane Grand Prix. The incident occurred yesterday when his motor glider lost altitude; rescue teams arrived promptly but were unable to save him.
Authorities confirmed that an investigation into the crash is being conducted by Carabinieri officers from Clusone, under the supervision of prosecutor Giulia Angeleri. Italy’s National Agency for Flight Safety is sending inspectors to the scene, while the remaining races of the FAI Sailplane Grand Prix have been suspended in light of the incident.
Competition organisers have suspended the remaining races following the death of Jon Gatfield, expressing “profound sadness” over the loss of a “deeply respected friend and a devoted pilot.” An investigation by Carabinieri officers under prosecutor Giulia Angeleri is underway, with the National Agency for Flight Safety sending inspectors to the scene to determine the cause of the crash.
What remains unclear — Investigators have not disclosed the preliminary findings regarding the cause of the crash.
British glider pilot Jon Gatfield dies after crash during competition in Italy
Jon Gatfield crashed near Bergamo yesterday (Picture: FAI)
A British glider pilot has died after his aircraft lost altitude and crashed into woodland during an international flying competition in northern Italy.
Jon Gatfield, 68, crashed on the slopes of Monte Grem in Bergamo, Lombardy, during the FAI Sailplane Grand Prix yesterday.
The race had begun earlier in the day in Varese, near the Swiss border.
According to organisers, Jon had been flying alone in his motor glider when it suddenly began losing altitude at around 3.30pm.
Another pilot taking part in the race spotted the aircraft descending abnormally and raised the alarm.
Rescue teams, including firefighters, mountain rescue crews and a helicopter emergency service, reached the crash site within minutes, but Jon could not be saved.
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Rescue services found him quickly but weren’t able to save him (Picture: Vigili del Fuoco)
The experienced British pilot had been competing alongside 15 other glider pilots from across Europe at the international event.
Reports said he had won the opening race of the competition the previous day after completing a 205-kilometre route in just over two hours.
Pilots were expected to complete the course through the mountains before returning to the airfield near the Swiss border.
Witnesses hiking near Monte Grem said they initially watched several gliders circling above the mountains before realising something had gone wrong.
One hiker said: ‘I saw it fall and heard the crash.’
Investigators are now examining whether the crash may have been caused by a medical emergency, a technical problem or pilot error.
An investigation has been opened into the crash (Picture: Vigili del Fuoco)
Carabinieri officers from Clusone opened an investigation under the supervision of prosecutor Giulia Angeleri.
Italy’s National Agency for Flight Safety also announced it would send inspectors to the scene.
Competition organisers suspended the remaining races following the tragedy.
In a statement, organisers said: ‘It is with profound sadness that the FAI Sailplane Grand Prix organisation announces the tragic loss of British pilot Jon Gatfield during the opening of the 13th series in Varese.
‘Despite the rapid and coordinated response, we lost a deeply respected friend and a devoted pilot.’
Organisers also described Jon as a well-known figure in the international gliding community who had taken part in numerous European and world competitions over the years.
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Ukraine demands full EU membership amid renewed accession discussions
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Ukraine demands full EU membership amid renewed accession discussions
Accession Process
Ukraine is urging Brussels to open all six negotiation clusters for EU membership in June, ahead of the previously planned July timeline.
Ukraine is urging Brussels to open all six negotiation clusters for EU membership in June, ahead of the previously planned July timeline.
Accession Efforts
Ukraine seeks to expedite its EU accession by urging the opening of all six negotiation clusters in June, having already completed necessary reforms to align with EU standards.
Ukraine seeks to expedite its EU accession by urging the opening of all six negotiation clusters in June, having already completed necessary reforms to align with EU standards.
Firm Stance
“For Ukraine, there are no alternatives for the fast, merit-based, but full membership in the European Union,” stated Taras Kachka, Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine.
“For Ukraine, there are no alternatives for the fast, merit-based, but full membership in the European Union,” stated Taras Kachka, Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine.
‘No alternative to full EU membership’, Ukraine’s deputy PM tells EU News
For Kyiv, “there are no alternatives for the fast, merit-based, but full membership in the European Union,” Taras Kachka, Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, said in an exclusive interview with EU News.
Earlier this month, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz pitched the idea that Ukraine could become an “associate member” of the EU before becoming a fully-fledged member state.
Kachka rejected the idea, calling it “unacceptable if it is an alternative to full membership.”
He stated that Ukraine needs a “fast, comprehensive, normal accession process that will end with the signing of a treaty of accession under Article 49 of the Treaty of the European Union.”
Everything else, he said, “doesn’t matter.”
Ukraine’s accession timeline
In a renewed effort to speed up its EU accession process, Kyiv is calling on Brussels to open all of Ukraine’s negotiation clusters in June this year, ahead of the previously indicated July timeline.
“We believe that all six clusters can be open already in June,” Kachka told EU News on Tuesday. “Our timeline is that we are already behind the deadline.”
Kachka’s remarks come after European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said the first negotiation cluster could be opened in June during Cyprus’ rotating EU presidency, with the remaining five to follow by July once Ireland takes over the role.
Negotiation clusters are tied to key reform areas required to align with EU standards, ranging from the rule of law to judicial reform.
Each set of benchmarks must be met by a candidate country, with final approval requiring unanimous agreement from all 27 EU member states.
Kachka insisted that Ukraine had already completed the necessary groundwork, meaning the formal opening of the accession clusters would not mark a fresh start for the country.
“So everything is already done, that’s why we’re already behind schedule,” the deputy prime minister said.
Kachka added that there is “a certain prejudice” toward Ukraine regarding the timing and circumstances of the country’s start of its EU accession process.
“For Ukraine, it started like 15 years ago, or even earlier, when we negotiated the association agreement,” he said. “All the benchmarks that are already defined by the European Union are easily implemented in the forthcoming 12 to 18 months.”
Ukraine’s accession steps had been blocked by a Hungarian veto for a long time, which Kyiv now hopes will be lifted under the leadership of the new Hungarian prime minister, Péter Magyar.
Hungary ‘will not block anything’
After years of difficult relations, Hungary and Ukraine have started consultations on the rights of the Hungarian minority in the war-torn country, a longstanding point of contention between the two countries and a major reason behind Budapest’s veto of Kyiv’s EU accession bid.
Kachka insisted that “Ukraine treats the Hungarian community in Ukraine with full respect.”
“For us, they are an absolutely integral part of Ukrainian society, with all respect to their national identity,” he said.
“We have almost 100 schools for Hungarians satisfying all demands. So that means that literally every pupil, every child in Ukraine who wants to learn in Hungarian or to learn the Hungarian language while studying in Ukrainian has this possibility to do.”
Kachka said that Kyiv is now presenting Budapest the same offer to move forward as it previously offered to former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán: “to fine-tune the legislation for everyone to be aware that this incredibly good atmosphere will not change.”
But Budapest shouldn’t wait longer to lift its veto on Ukraine’s accession, Kachka suggested, explaining that “the dialogue on national minorities between Ukraine and Hungary will last permanently.”
Could other countries impose vetoes?
While the Hungarian veto on Ukraine’s EU accession might be lifted sooner rather than later, there are concerns that other member states might block Kyiv’s next steps.
One of these countries could be Poland.
“There is no big secret that Polish agriculture treats Ukrainian agriculture as competition,” Kachka said on Tuesday.
He explained that Kyiv is already engaged in consultations with Warsaw, but also other capitals, about any possible sector-specific issues.
“We see no intention to block the opening of the clusters, but we see the good faith will to find a solution for these sensitive and complicated topics with Poland and our neighbours and with other member states as well, but this one will be the most delicate.”
Armenia signs partnership agreement with the US ahead of elections
6:00 pm
Get you up to speed: Armenia signs strategic partnership deal with US as election approaches
Armenia signed a strategic partnership agreement with the United States during a meeting in Yerevan attended by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan. The agreement includes a framework for cooperation on critical minerals and a transit corridor.
The strategic partnership agreement includes a framework for cooperation on critical minerals and a 43-kilometre transit corridor named the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, designed to enhance connectivity between Azerbaijan and Turkiye. Armenia’s shift towards Western alliances follows criticisms of Russia’s inaction during the recent Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and joint military drills between the US and Armenia were conducted last year.
Armenia signed a strategic partnership agreement with the United States, emphasising economic collaboration and the development of the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stating the pact “marks the biggest step to date.” Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan faces increasing pressure from pro-Russia parties ahead of the June elections, as Russia has warned it may increase gas prices if Armenia continues to strengthen its ties with the West.
What remains unclear — The specific terms of the strategic partnership agreement between Armenia and the US have not been disclosed.
Armenia signs partnership agreement with the US ahead of elections
News|PoliticsArmenia signs strategic partnership deal with US as election approaches
PM Nikol Pashinyan, who deepened ties with US, faces challenge from pro-Russia parties in upcoming parliamentary polls.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan pose at the end of their talks at Yerevan’s Zvartnots international airport on May 26, 2026 [Karen Minasyan/AFP]
Armenia has signed a strategic partnership agreement bolstering ties with the United States, as Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan faces a challenge from pro-Russia parties in the country’s upcoming election in June.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan also signed a framework on critical minerals and cooperation on a transit corridor in the Armenian capital of Yerevan on Tuesday.
list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Armenia reassures visiting Iran leader it will control Azerbaijan corridorlist 2 of 3US strikes civil nuclear agreement with Armenia, Russia’s former close allylist 3 of 3Iran denies its drones hit airport in Azerbaijan’s exclave as war widensend of list
“This agreement marks the biggest step to date on making this historic route a reality, on advancing peace, and on increasing prosperity in Armenia and frankly in the region,” Rubio said at a signing ceremony at the Yerevan airport.
The 43-km (27-mile) corridor, dubbed the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), would traverse southern Armenia and provide Azerbaijan with a direct route to the exclave of Nakhchivan and into Turkiye, a close ally of Baku.
Pashinyan has sought closer ties with the US and Europe, drawing the ire of longtime ally Russia. Moscow has said that it could raise the price of gas Armenia receives from Russia if it continues to pursue greater integration with Western countries.
Armenia had historically been a close security and economic partner of Russia, but Yerevan started to turn towards the West for alliances after the 2023 conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan.
Russia, which is fighting its own war in Ukraine, did not intervene militarily when Azerbaijan launched a major military offensive Nagorno-Karabakh, which had a large Armenian population and had been de facto independent since the 1990s.
Last year, the US and Armenia held joint military drills for the first time.
“I wish to reaffirm that the comprehensive strategic relations between our two nations are stronger than ever,” Mirzoyan said of relations with the US on Tuesday.
The administration of US President Donald Trump, for its part, has cast its relationship with Yerevan in largely economic terms and sought concessions in areas such as critical minerals.
“We are laying the groundwork for the sort of economic engagement that allows Armenians to make money and find prosperity and Americans to do the same and to do it together, which is one of the strongest ways to bind nations with one another,” Rubio said on Tuesday.
A US State Department framework for the transportation corridor, part of a peace agreement signed by Armenia and Azerbaijan last August, also grants the US a 74 percent share in the “TRIPP Development Company”, with an explicit pledge to benefit US companies.
Court restricts Alabama from using congressional map with one majority-Black district
5:00 pm
Get you up to speed: Court blocks Alabama from using congressional map with 1 majority-Black district
A federal district court in Alabama has temporarily blocked the state’s 2023 congressional map, which included one majority-Black district, citing racial discrimination. The court will require elections to proceed using a previously adopted map with two majority-Black districts.
The federal district court’s decision allows Alabama lawmakers to propose a new congressional districting plan before the August 11 special primary. The ongoing case is part of a broader legal struggle over redistricting in Alabama, following a Supreme Court ruling that destabilised certain provisions of the Voting Rights Act.
A federal district court has blocked Alabama’s use of a congressional map adopted in 2023, citing racial discrimination, while allowing the state to create a new voting plan for upcoming House elections. Governor Kay Ivey has set a special primary for affected districts on August 11, as the state prepares for the possibility of an appeal to the Supreme Court.
What remains unclear — It is uncertain whether Alabama will successfully enact a new congressional districting plan before the upcoming House elections.
Court restricts Alabama from using congressional map with one majority-Black district
Washington — A federal district court on Tuesday temporarily blocked Alabama from using a congressional map adopted by state lawmakers in 2023 for the upcoming midterm elections, finding that the plan, which includes one majority-Black district, is racially discriminatory.
The panel of three judges instead ordered Alabama to continue using a court-selected map that includes two majority-Black districts. Those congressional district lines were used in the 2024 elections.
In their decision, the judges found that the redistricting plan adopted by Alabama’s GOP-led legislature in 2023, which state officials sought to reimplement for this year’s House contests, intentionally discriminated on the basis of race, in violation of the Constitution’s 14th Amendment.
“Ultimately, we cannot see our way clear to requiring Alabamians to cast their votes in the 2026 elections under a districting plan tainted by intentional race-based discrimination,” Circuit Judge Stanley Marcus and District Judges Anna Manasco and Terry Moorer found.
The state can appeal the decision to the Supreme Court.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, a Republican, has already set a special primary for Aug. 11 for four House districts that would be reconfigured under the new map. Primaries for the state’s remaining House seats unaffected by the redistricting scramble were held last week.
The court rejected the state’s argument that mapmakers were driven by party politics when they redrew the House district lines in 2023 and instead found that state lawmakers enacted that map to “distribute Black voters across districts to dilute their votes, at least in part because they were Black.”
Still, the district court gave state lawmakers the chance to enact another congressional districting plan for the upcoming House elections, writing that its order requiring Alabama’s congressional elections be administered under the court-drawn map expires if the state adopts new voting lines.
“We acknowledge that our holding is a rare one in the modern era, and we are painfully aware of the gravity of our ruling, but in this unusual posture and on this extensive record, we do not find the issue particularly complex or close,” the judge said.
The decision is the latest twist in the long-running legal fight over Alabama’s congressional map. The case landed back before the district court after the Supreme Court’s landmark decision last month that weakened a key provision of the Voting Rights Act.
That ruling, which came in a case involving Louisiana’s congressional map, set off a rush in some Southern states to reconfigure their congressional districts to give Republicans an edge and help the GOP hold onto its House majority.
On the heels of its decision in the Louisiana voting rights case, the high court set aside lower court rulings that had blocked Alabama from using the 2023 map and ordered additional proceedings. State officials then acted swiftly to implement the House lines drawn by state lawmakers three years ago.
Alabama’s congressional delegation is currently composed of five Republicans and two Democrats. But state GOP officials had hoped that under the new map, they could flip the seat currently held by Rep. Shomari Figures, a Democrat.
Figures said he is “pleased” with the district court’s decision blocking the state from using the 2023 House plan, but acknowledged that the state will likely appeal to the Supreme Court.
“This is a significant step in the right direction, but there is still a long way to go before this fight is settled,” he said.
Alabama’s GOP-controlled legislature crafted new district lines in 2023 after their original map, crafted after the 2020 Census, was found to likely violate Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.
The 2023 map included a single majority-Black district, but the district court blocked the state from using those congressional districts in the 2024 elections. Instead, those contests were held under a remedial map adopted by the court.
Janice Nix found guilty of manslaughter of five-year-old stepdaughter in 1978
4:00 pm
Get you up to speed: Janice Nix guilty of killing girl, 5, in scalding hot bath in 1978 | News UK
Janice Nix, 67, has been found guilty of manslaughter for killing her five-year-old stepdaughter, Andrea Bernard, by scalding her in a hot bath at their home in Thornton Heath, south London, in 1978. Andrea died nearly six weeks after sustaining severe burns, and Nix has been remanded in custody pending sentencing.
Janice Nix, who was arrested at Heathrow Airport on February 18, 2025, will be sentenced at a later date following her conviction. The investigation was prompted after Desmond Bernard reported the incident to police in 2022, leading to a re-examination of the circumstances surrounding his sister’s death in July 1978.
Desmond Bernard, Andrea’s older brother, expressed relief at the guilty verdict, stating, “I am happy with the conviction, solely because she now must take responsibility for her actions.” Janice Nix has been remanded in custody and will be sentenced at a later date.
What remains unclear — The exact circumstances surrounding the events that led to Andrea’s death remain ambiguous, particularly regarding Nix’s actions leading to the bath incident.
Janice Nix found guilty of manslaughter of five-year-old stepdaughter in 1978
A drug dealer-turned-award-winning probation officer has been found guilty of killing her five-year-old stepdaughter by scalding her in a hot bath.
Janice Nix, now 67, forced Andrea Bernard into the bath at home in Thornton Heath, south London, in 1978.
Andrea’s death was treated as an accident until her older brother, Desmond Bernard, went to police in 2022 to report the incident, Isleworth Crown Court heard.
Mr Bernard, now 56, said he and his siblings ‘lived in constant fear’ of Nix’s beatings, which have ‘left mental scars which I am still healing from’.
He sobbed in the witness box as he told jurors how Nix would beat him with a belt, burned him with a cigarette, bit him and made him eat cat food.
On June 6, 1978, the court heard Nix was ‘furious’ after Andrea ignored instructions not to leave the house and to help clean instead.
Nix shouted at Andrea in an ‘extremely loud’ voice before beating her, jurors were told.
Mr Bernard said he later heard the bath running, adding: ‘I could hear Janice shouting, “Get in the bath” and I could hear Andrea saying, “The bath is too hot, mummy”.
‘I could hear Janice shouting, “Get in the bath, get in the bath,” and then I heard screaming and splashing.
‘Then I heard the screaming stopped and I could hear Janice calling Andrea to “wake up, wake up”.’
Asked by prosecutor Kerry Broome how Nix sounded, he replied: ‘She sounded scared.’
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Mr Bernard said he walked into the bathroom and saw Nix cradling Andrea, who was ‘limp’ and wrapped in a towel.
‘I could see skin falling off her,’ he told jurors.
Asked whether Nix said anything, Mr Bernard said: ‘She asked me to say it was an accident… and to say that we were in the garden when it happened and that she would never beat me again.’
Nix, of Clapham, south London, shook her head before weeping in the dock as she was convicted of manslaughter.
She was also convicted of cruelty to Mr Bernard between October 1975 and June 1978, when he was between the ages of seven and nine.
Mr Bernard said in a statement after the verdict that his sister was ‘talkative, brave and very smart’.
He said that he had decided to come forward about his sister’s death to lift a burden ‘which was not mine to carry’.
He said: ‘I am happy with the conviction, solely because she now must take responsibility for her actions, something she has to this day not done. Although this does not bring Andrea back or undo all the pain caused.
‘When I saw Janice in court, I saw a pathetic human being acting as if she is the victim.’
Andrea died nearly six weeks after arriving in hospital with burns to 50% of her body, the court heard.
A burns expert told the trial that a child exposed to water hot enough to cause Andrea’s injuries would instinctively try to get out by standing up, not remain seated.
Prosecutors argued this meant Nix must have forcibly held parts of Andrea’s body underwater.
Nix, then called Janice Thomas and in her late teens, had been in a relationship with the children’s father, also named Desmond Bernard, and was in effect their stepmother.
During the 1978 inquest investigation, Nix had initially claimed Andrea took a bath on her own and later complained of itchy legs before fainting.
But she admitted during her trial to giving a false account of the events to the coroner because she was ‘in a panic’ over having failed to supervise Andrea.
‘I realised I had done something I shouldn’t have done: I should have been with Andrea,’ she told jurors.
Nix said she did not at the time realise the bathwater was scalding hot, adding: ‘All I know is that she was in distress, her legs were red, they had bubbles on them… I didn’t know how hot the water was.’
During a 2022 police interview, Nix gave a version of events that differed ‘significantly’ from her original statement, the Met Police said.
She also claimed that the coroner found Andrea’s death was because of an overheated bath caused by a faulty boiler — something not mentioned in the report.
Nix was arrested at Heathrow Airport on February 18, 2025, after arriving on a flight from Antigua, and was charged later that day.
She had denied both the charges of manslaughter and cruelty to a child.
Detective Sergeant Danny Chatfield said in a statement outside court that Nix’s actions were ‘selfish and cowardly’ and that she had maintained a ‘web of lies’ for decades.
Detective Inspector Louise Caveen, from the Met’s cold case homicide team, said: ‘This is a particularly tragic case and my thoughts ultimately remain with Andrea’s family, whose lives were changed irrevocably back in 1978.
‘In particular, I want to pay tribute to Desmond, who bravely made the decision to come forward and speak to us, as well as giving evidence at trial.
‘It is thanks to his courage that Nix has now been found guilty and will finally be held responsible for her actions.’
Aisling Hosein of the Crown Prosecution Service said: ‘I can only imagine the enormous courage this must have taken to come forward after being told as a child to say the incident was just an accident.
‘It is thanks to him that we have been able to secure justice today on behalf of Andrea almost five decades on.’
Nix was remanded in custody to be sentenced at a later date.
British father reportedly tortured in Dubai jail as family seeks proof of safety
3:00 pm
Get you up to speed: Brit dad ‘tortured in Dubai jail’ as family beg for ‘proof he’s safe’ | News World
Ryan Pepper, a 27-year-old British father, has been detained in a UAE facility for over seven months, where he has reportedly faced torture and abuse. His family, based in Ashford, Kent, is seeking proof of his safety following claims of mistreatment detailed in smuggled notes from the jail.
British Embassy officials reportedly met Ryan Pepper on February 16, though this meeting was supervised by UAE officials. Detained in Dubai also states that Ryan’s case has been filed with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture following concerns about his treatment and the lack of private communication with British representatives.
The family of Ryan Pepper has raised his case with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture, expressing deep concerns over his treatment in a UAE detention facility. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) stated they are in contact with both Pepper’s family and local authorities to address the situation.
What remains unclear — It is not confirmed why Ryan Pepper was arrested or if the Foreign Office is aware of the reasons.
British father reportedly tortured in Dubai jail as family seeks proof of safety
Ryan Pepper was allegedly treated inhumanely at the hands of UAE authorities
The family of a British dad are begging for him to be freed after he allegedly faced torture in a Dubai jail, WTX can reveal.
Ryan Pepper, 27, has allegedly been beaten, threatened and psychologically abused after he was arrested in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) more than seven months ago.
A report by legal advocates Detained in Dubai – seen by WTX – says that handwritten notes smuggled out of the UAE detention facility claimed he was living in ‘hell’.
The human rights group also claim British officials have struggled to get private access to the dad following safeguarding concerns raised by his devastated family.
Ryan Pepper’s family are begging for proof he is alive
They have also raised his case with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture, as well as the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.
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Sister Chloe Pepper, who has spoken to him over the phone, said: ‘At first we were trying to stay positive.
‘But then Ryan started telling us people had been beaten, isolated, threatened and denied communication. He sounded terrified. We
genuinely began fearing he was going to die in there.’
Ryan, a dad-of-two from Ashford, Kent, was arrested and locked up in a UAE ‘hell hole’ on November 3, 2025.
His family do not know why he was detained, and they believe the Foreign Office does not know either.
A note from the dad was allegedly smuggled out of the police detention facility detailing allegations of mistreatment in the jail.
According to Detained in Dubai, Ryan wrote that ‘everyone was beaten up’ and described the jail as ‘hell’.
A note allegedly smuggled out of the prison claimed that ‘everyone was beaten up’.
(Picture: supplied to WTX)
He also claimed police had ‘kidnapped and robbed’ detainees, and repeatedly suggested he could not safely explain what was happening in writing because communications were monitored.
Another detainee in the jail allegedly contacted the family directly, telling them Ryan was held in confinement for 20 days and physically abused.
The fellow inmate also told Detained in Dubai that officials allegedly used pliers to rip out four of his front teeth.
‘So many scenarios went through my head’
Chloe said the family were denied calls with Ryan until they spoke for the first time on May 13.
She said: ‘Even though I was getting these handwritten notes from him, it was at the back of my mind that if they had been backdated and were made to make it look like he’s alive and he isn’t.
‘So many scenarios went through my head. So to hear his voice and know it was actually him… [I] can’t describe the feeling of relief I felt. But [I was] also sad because of what he’s endured.’
During that call, he allegedly described ‘inhumane’ treatment by authorities and said he was ‘more worried than ever’ that he was going to be killed.
Chloe has spoken with Ryan over the phone where he described his treatment in the detention centre
Detained in Dubai says Ryan was taken to hospital during his time in the UAE jail, but that authorities claimed this was due to complications
from a previous surgery.
Chloe said: ‘We are begging for proof our loved one is safe. No family should have to live like this.’
Detained in Dubai claims that British Embassy officials met Ryan on February 16, but that UAE officials were there supervising the visit.
The group told WTX that British diplomats made a surprise visit to the detention centre yesterday, where they had an unsupervised meeting with Ryan, during which he discussed his alleged mistreatment.
Chloe said the family no longer trust official reassurances regarding his welfare.
She added: ‘We kept being told Ryan was okay. Then Ryan told us he had disclosed horrific abuse directly to officials. He said he felt unheard. He said meetings weren’t private. That completely shattered our confidence.’
Ryan’s case has been raised with the UN Special Rapporteur on torture
Radha Stirling, founder of Detained in Dubai, said: ‘The Foreign Office continues relying on reassurances obtained in environments where detainees may be terrified to speak honestly.
‘British officials cannot meaningfully assess torture allegations if meetings are monitored by the same authorities accused of abuse.’
She continued: ‘British citizens are walking blindly into a system that the UK government knows carries serious risks of arbitrary detention and abuse.
‘The family say they are now living in constant fear that Ryan will become another British casualty of the UAE detention system.’
Although Ryan has no idea why he was arrested, Stirling says that he was detained alongside about 15 people.
She claimed that sometimes authorities arrest dozens of people as they investigate one issue, leaving some innocent people in prison for lengthy periods of time.
An FCDO spokesperson said: ‘We are supporting a British man who has been detained in the UAE.
‘We are in contact with his family and continue to raise the case directly with the local authorities in the UAE.’
The United Arab Emirates embassy in London has been contacted for comment.
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