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Groove's not the only one having problems in Dubai... |
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Geschrieben von CGWW News
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Tuesday, 08 April 2008 |
Those concerned about the incarceration of legendary Drum and Bass DJ, Grooverider in Dubai for possession of Cannabis can now sign a petition online at www.freegrooverider.com.
There is no doubt in this case of his guilt. Grooverider, real name Raymond Bingham, is guilty, since he was carrying around two and a half grams of the substance in his record bag, along with porn DVDs (also illegal in Dubai). Yes, Groove may have been stupid; the event promoter allegedly wrote him a fax well before he was due to play explaining the country's harsh laws regarding the import of controlled substances, which he chose to ignore, but even if this is the case, one has to be shocked at the harsh nature of the punishment (Groove has started serving a four-year custodial sentence in Dubai's far-from-pleasant Central Jail) meted out for what is, in essence, a victimless crime, if indeed a crime at all.
However, it's not just celebrity DJs being singled out for the media circus, as one British TV producer also found out earlier this month. Grooverider's new cellmate, Cat Le Huy of the company behind Big Brother, Endemol, was detained in custody for over six weeks after being accused of smuggling 0.03g of hashish into the country - a quantity that would be barely visible with the naked eye. If convicted, he too would have faced the mandatory four-year custodial sentence, even though the quantity involved would have been too small to have any kind of psychoactive effect on a human being, let alone a mouse!
Claims that Dubai customs officials receive a hefty bonus to their pay packet for every drugs case they prosecute would appear to hold water as Le Huy firmly protests his innocence. "Hashish isn't something available in my social circle - the idea it was in my bag is absolutely ludicrous", he claimed. Since the change of the drug laws in Dubai in 2006, to have so much as a trace amount of a substance on your person is enough to get you facing jail time, as another UK citizen, Keith Brown found out the hard way, as he served nine months for 'possession' of 0.003g of cannabis stuck to the sole of his shoe. Saima Jirji of legal charity Fair Trials International says that these arrests are becoming more and more common. "People are being subjected to very thorough searches. Even seams in their clothing and the fluff in their pockets is being checked".
Mr Le Huy, of Vietnamese origin, also alleges the Dubai officials initially tried to pin a heroin possession charge on him after they found some unmarked pills in his luggage which later turned out to be Melotonin, legally-available jet-lag medication, and sent detectives who asked if he knew any drug-takers back in Britain who could be coerced into coming to Dubai to face arrest in exchange for his freedom. After six weeks of campaigning by Le Huy's friends and colleagues back in the UK, and of course, lack of any serious evidence on the part of the Dubai authorities, Mr Le Huy was eventually freed. However, Grooverider still needs our help, so let's get that petition signed!
http://www.fairtrials.net/ www.freegrooverider.com |
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Letzte Aktualisierung ( Tuesday, 08 April 2008 )
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