Ryan Pepper, a 27-year-old father from Kent, United Kingdom, has been held in a United Arab Emirates jail since November 3, 2025 without charge, and his situation has reportedly become increasingly dire. According to The Sun, the young man has allegedly suffered through horrific abuse, while being detained in a Sharjah facility near Dubai.
He reportedly still has no idea what crime he is accused of, and has communicated his plight through handwritten notes smuggled out of his cell, which he shares with about 20 other inmates. In these notes, he has described the environment as a hellhole, and Ryan’s sister Chloe alleges her brother’s teeth were pulled out with pliers as his captors beat him.
In a rare, secretly recorded voice note, Ryan was heard by The Sun reporters saying, “We signed paperwork, we don’t know what we signed, it was all in Arabic. They threatened to break our hands if we didn’t sign that.” He further noted:
“Everyone on the case signed it and we have no idea what we signed. We have no idea what the thing said – none of us speak Arabic and they wouldn’t give us a translation. They just made us sign it and just put us in the detention centre.”
Ryan Pepper seems to be only one of many detained without explanation
Per the Sun, the situation involves 14 other prisoners, including seven other British nationals in their twenties. She noted that he claims he and his friends were kidnapped by police and beaten by special forces.
Chloe alleges they were blindfolded, gagged, stripped naked, and subjected to both physical and sexual assault. She stated, “He is now more worried than ever that they’re just going to kill them and chuck them somewhere. Something needs to be done asap – He has had four teeth pulled out. He’s missing his front teeth and he said the things that happened to him were inhumane. It happened during the torture. Pulled out with pliers!”
Ryan is reportedly terrified and barely eats, as he fears the food provided in the detention center is drugged. He only consumes food purchased from the prison commissary using money sent by his family. His sister mentioned that he has spent months without seeing daylight. “There were bright humming lights 24/7. There was no drinking water and it mentally and physically broke them,” Chloe said.
The Sun reported that Chloe expressed her shock at the lack of effective assistance from the British Embassy, noting that it took officials more than two weeks just to confirm Ryan was in custody. Even when embassy officials visited, the family claims the meetings were not private and that detainees were threatened beforehand.
Radha Stirling, CEO of Detained in Dubai, an activist group supporting Ryan, stated, “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.”
Stirling warned that Ryan’s case follows a disturbing pattern of British citizens being subjected to arbitrary detention and abuse in the UAE. She referenced previous cases, including that of Albert Douglas, who was also subjected to abuse and later ruled to be arbitrarily detained by the United Nations.
“How many warnings does the British government need?” Stirling asked. “British citizens need to understand that if they are arrested in Dubai, even over social media activity, financial disputes, or minor allegations, they may face prolonged unlawful and arbitrary detention, violent abuse, intimidation and potentially torture.”
As of May 26th, the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office has been unable to confirm the reasons for Ryan’s detention, though they have reportedly received direct reports of abuse from him. A spokesperson for the FCDO said, “We are supporting a British man who has been detained in the UAE.”
Per the Sun, Chloe, who has been forced to navigate this crisis while worrying about her nephews, remains desperate for her brother’s safety. She said, “I feel like I’ve hit every brick wall imaginable. I just want him safe.” For now, Detained in Dubai has prepared urgent submissions to United Nations torture watchdogs, hoping to force an intervention.
Until that intervention happens, hopefully, Ryan or the British embassy can find out why he was arrested.
Published: Jun 8, 2026 11:09 am