Police in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have withdrawn attempted suicide and consuming alcohol charges against Irish woman Tori Towey, a lawyer assisting her case said on X (formerly Twitter) Wednesday.
Towey, an Irish flight attendant with Emirates Airlines since April 2023, was briefly imprisoned and had her passport confiscated and destroyed, according to the Detained in Dubai (DiD) legal group. As DiD states, their plea for Towey to be released was based on the fact that she was a victim of “brutal domestic violence leading to an attempt to take her own life” and “rather than helping her go home to Ireland with her mother, Dubai authorities charged her with attempted suicide and alcohol consumption.”
An emailed statement provided to Time from the Government of Dubai’s media office stated, “Dubai Public Prosecution has closed the case involving Irish national Tori Towey after she and her husband, a South African national, were involved in a case featuring mutual charges of assault, dating back to May 2024”. DiD confirmed that a travel ban placed on Towey was due to a pre-emptive case opened by Towey’s husband.
Ireland’s Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Simon Harris confirmed in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday that this travel ban has since been lifted and Towey “will be home soon”. The head of Ireland’s Sinn Féin political party, Mary Lou McDonald, declared on X (formerly Twitter) that Towey would travel back to her homeland from Dubai with her mother, stating, “We await her safe return.”
Although suicide has generally been prohibited in the UAE, there have been reports that historic changes to the country’s penal code and personal status will decriminalize suicide and attempted suicide. However, according to articles from the UAE’s Ministry of Justice on the Federal Decree Law No. (15) of 2020, people who are charged with attempting suicide may still face up to six months in prison, a fine of up to 5,000 AED, or both. Additionally, the court has the authority to mandate that the incarceration period be completed in a “healing facility.” Those who are charged with providing assistance to someone who is attempting suicide also face potential incarceration.
