British man, 72, detained in Dubai for 18 years may have been 'tortured' by authorities, UN human rights experts warn

By FRANCINE WOLFISZ, NEWS REPORTER Published: 20:58, 24 July 2026 | Updated: 21:22, 24 July 2026 UN human rights experts have warned a 72-year-old British man may have been tortured by authorities in the United Arab Emirates. The experts have made fresh calls for the immediate release of Ryan Cornelius, who was detained 18 years ago in 2008 after being accused of defrauding the Dubai Islamic Bank – a charge he vehemently denies. Authorities extended his detention by 20 years in 2018, when they claimed the father-of-three still had debts to repay. His family are terrified he won't live to see his day of freedom aged 84 and will instead perish in prison.  Human rights experts said the extension was cause for concern because civil proceedings in Bahrain reportedly found in 2020 that Mr Cornelius had not only repaid the debt, but repayments exceeded the amount due. 'International human rights law rejects the notion that one can be imprisoned to enforce a civil debt,' the experts found. The experts, who included the UN special rapporteur on torture Alice Jill Edwards and Zvezdan Pirtosek, who specialises in older persons' human rights, also jointly wrote: 'We call on the Emirati government to release Mr Cornelius without delay. 'He completed his original prison sentence in 2018. Ryan Cornelius (right), pictured with his wife Heather and their three children, may have been tortured by authorities in the United Arab Emirates. UN human rights experts have warned Arrested in 2008, Ryan was accused of defrauding the Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB), a charge he vehemently denies When he was first detained, Ryan’s children were 18, 16 and six. Now, they are all adults 'Yet he remains behind bars following a 20-year extension imposed in proceedings marred by serious judicial irregularities. 'His detention has already been found to be arbitrary by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.' Having heard reports Mr Cornelius was held in solitary confinement for around seven weeks, the experts warned this could amount to torture because he was isolated for more than 15 consecutive days. 'Emirati authorities must take immediate steps to ensure that Cornelius receives appropriate medical care and must remove, without further delay, any remaining obstacles to his release,' the experts added. They have contacted the UAE and UK governments, urging them to find a diplomatic resolution in this case. The latest plea for his release comes just months after his wife Heather penned a letter to UAE Prime Minister Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. She said the UK Foreign Office had promised to deliver the letter to the Dubai ruler directly but failed to do so, so she decided to go public with the message in the hope of pressuring the UAE into action. She wrote in March: 'Your Royal Highness, I am writing to plead with you to show clemency towards my husband, Ryan Cornelius, and release him from prison, where he has been held since May 2008. 'My husband will be 72 years old next month. In May, he will have served eighteen full years in prison. Advancing years and the cumulative effects of prison life have left him in poor health and constant pain. 'Everything which our family possessed was pledged as security for Ryan's loan from the Dubai Islamic Bank, and its forfeiture has long since left us bankrupt. We have absolutely nothing left. 'I have been homeless for many years now, and depend on the kindness of relatives for a bed to sleep in and a roof over my head. 'I beg you to consider what conceivable gain can come from continuing to keep my children's father in prison. We have surely been punished enough. 'Of everything which we have lost, nothing is more precious than the eighteen years of life which our family might have had together. 'My own health has suffered from this ordeal. Only a few years of possible life together would now remain to us. 'I beg you not to deny us this. Please show mercy, release my husband, and allow our family to have him back for whatever time God allows us to have together. 'With sincere respect, Heather Cornelius'. Having heard reports Mr Cornelius was held in solitary confinement for around seven weeks, UN experts warned this could amount to torture because he was isolated for more than 15 consecutive days In the UAE, there are three annual windows for clemency prisoner releases: at Ramadan, Eid al-Adha and the National Day. Since January 2023, a family plea for clemency – often written by Ryan's youngest son, Josh – has been submitted at each of these occasions to the UAE, under an FCDO covering letter. Each time, they have been manifestly ignored by the Ruler of Dubai. 'Ryan is a positive and strong person, but I can tell every day now that so much of him is dying,' Heather told the Daily Mail in a previous interview in April. 'The hope is not there – I can't hear it in his voice. Seventy-two is just a number, but how much longer does he have to stay in there? The absolute stress and horror of it hits me every single day, and every night I wake up in a sweat, thinking: How on earth are we going to get Ryan out?' A spokesman for the UAE government has previously said that all due processes were followed during Ryan's trial and that his sentence was lawfully extended in line with UAE law. They added that all prisoners receive medical care as required. 'The UAE judicial system is independent and equitable, and guarantees the mandatory presence of a translator at all stages, the right to seek a lawyer at all stages, the provision of a lawyer at the state’s expense if the defendant cannot appoint legal counsel, and the right to appeal,' they said. A UK Foreign Office spokesman said: 'The UK Government continues to raise Mr Cornelius's case with the UAE authorities and is providing ongoing consular support to him and his family.'