CC1981 Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 Okay, i take it back..Asif is an idiot....how many ****ing times has this dude transited through customs of a foreign country ? must be 903483290482 times so far....and yet this guy pretends not to know that customs officials are GODS to foreigners before your passport gets stamped ?! Link to comment
The Outsider Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 Quaint law? Almost everyone knows the middle east has one of the strictest drug laws in the world - it's not as if he is being charged with some obscure thing. And certainly a cricketer who has visited that country on many occasions in the past, is exposed to international players on a regular basis etc. etc. can't claim ignorance the "quaint law". Link to comment
CC1981 Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 can't claim ignorance the "quaint law". 1. Yes, quaint law by most nation's stanadards. 2. NOWHERE in Dubai airport will you find it printed in big bold letters that carrying marijuana/hash is a criminal offence...as such, its irrelevant how many times you have travelled that nation, if the nation does not have obvious posted information in public places/immigration centers, you can most definitely claim ignorance! Link to comment
CSK Fan Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 Not really. Ignorance of quaint laws can be very easily defended in court. For eg, here, in vancouver, there is a concept called medical marijuana....ie, doctors can (and do) prescribe marijuana for their patients. If such a patient is travelling/transiting through the mid-east and isn't aware of their hardcore marijuana laws, i think that can be defended in court, given that there is a doctor's prescription associated with it. The dude who got hanged for possesing 1 ounce of Opium, the one who got busted becuase he had some poppy seeds from a hamburger he ate on his clothes, people sentenced for years because of carrying cough syrup and prescription pills; if only they had the benifit of your expert advised, would have gone scot-free! BTW lots of people carrying genuine medical drugs which prescriptions (eg sleeping pills) have spent 4 to 10 yrs in dubai jail for the same offence! Link to comment
Sachinism Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 oh man this just gets better and better Link to comment
CSK Fan Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 Tourists warned of UAE drug laws http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7234786.stm Dubai is popular among tourists and businesses Travellers to the United Arab Emirates are being warned about its severe drug laws which have seen dozens detained for apparently minor offences. Fair Trials International said arrests were being made over tiny quantities of drugs and over-the-counter medicines. British tourist Keith Brown was sentenced to four years in prison after Dubai customs officers found a 0.003g trace of cannabis stuck to his shoe. Fair Trials, a legal charity, said it has seen a steep rise in such cases. Golden beaches Possession of painkillers like codeine and some cold and flu medication could result in a mandatory four-year prison sentence, Fair Trials International said. In one of the most extreme cases, it reported a man being held after poppy seeds from a bread roll were found on his clothes. British resident Cat Le-Huy was arrested in Dubai for carrying Melatonin jet-lag tablets, which are sold over the counter in the US and Dubai Meanwhile, a Swiss national is serving a four-year jail term after three poppy seeds from a bread roll he ate at Heathrow airport were found on his clothes. Link to comment
The Outsider Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 ^ Exactly, only aliens can claim middle east drug laws are quaint and certainly not a international sportsman who has been into the region on multiple occasions and regularly interacts with people from there as well other international sportsmen. Link to comment
CC1981 Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 if only they had the benifit of your expert advised, would have gone scot-free! BTW lots of people carrying genuine medical drugs which prescriptions (eg sleeping pills) have spent 4 to 10 yrs in dubai jail for the same offence! No, not the benifit of my 'expert' advice...just access to 'expert' lawyers who can defend them in court according to international jurisprudence. Link to comment
CC1981 Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 Exactly, only aliens can claim middle east drug laws are quaint Do you know the meaning of the word 'quaint' ? It means distinctly off-beat/against the grain/unexpected. As such, the overwhelming majority of the world does not imprison you or kill you for posession of hash or pot...therefore, mid-east laws can aptly be described as quaint by the DEFINITION of the word! Link to comment
The Outsider Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 ^Okay, so how come we hear so many stories about people getting harsh punishment for minor posession, why have websites issued these warnings prominently to travelers if it's so easy to get off in the guise of quaint drug laws of the middle east? And you want to justify Asif being ignorant of some of the strictest drug laws in the world despite visiting that country on numerous occasions and despite knowing people from there as well as interacting with people who frequent the place? Coming from a person who interacts with people from the middle east on a regular basis, the laws might still e weird for the rest of the world, but certainly does not mean that Asif was in any way unaware of them. Claiming ignorance in light of all this is utter tosh. Link to comment
Mr. Wicket Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 Hardly quaint. It's common sense to figure out what the MAJOR laws are in any country before you visit. In Asif's case, given that he's been to the UAE before in the past, it's just being stupid. Link to comment
CC1981 Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 but certainly does not mean that Asif was in any way unaware of them. You forget, i have extensive experience with the mid-east too. And for someone residing in North America, you should know by now that in north american(and intl. court of justice) laws, if you DO NOT display a sign, you CANNOT claim to've taken adequate steps to've informed people about your status....and you CANNOT punish ignorance.. That there is not a SINGLE notice in dubai intl airport stating posessing marijuana/hash is punishable ( i've been there last year, trust me on this...whereas in S'pore there are signs displaying such), the defendant can EASILY claim ignorance. And good luck imprisoning somoene for being ignorant of a quaint law(YES! quaint because qauint means non-mainstream and this law is definitely in the minority as far as world govts. go). Link to comment
CC1981 Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 it's just being stupid. No question it is stupid and no question he knew the consequences....i am arguing however from a legal standpoint here.... trust me, he is gonna walk...not just because Pakistan is gonna pull diplomatic strings, simply because if you have adequate lawyer support and MONEY, you can easily contest this from a legal standpoint, given there is zero notification about posession of contrabands and penalties associated with it in dubai airport. Link to comment
The Outsider Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 If it's so easy to walk, why do so many people get stuffed due to these laws. Oh and Aisf will walk no doubt but it has nothing to do with quaint laws of the middle east but for the same reason other high profile people have walked breaking the law while the lower strata gets jacked. Link to comment
CC1981 Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 why do so many people get stuffed due to these laws the same reason as why 99% people get stuffed by the legal system: 1. they cannot afford/get proper defence (not an issue with Asif) 2. they arnt aware of their rights. Link to comment
The Outsider Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 the same reason as why 99% people get stuffed by the legal system: 1. they cannot afford/get proper defence (not an issue with Asif) 2. they arnt aware of their rights. Which implies it's not easy to get away from these charges unless you are bigshot like Asif - which is what I was saying in any case. You were claiming it's a trivial matter to walk away from these charge ignoring the many who have been put in jail. Link to comment
CSK Fan Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 the same reason as why 99% people get stuffed by the legal system: 1. they cannot afford/get proper defence (not an issue with Asif) 2. they arnt aware of their rights. Asif might very well be let off but it wouldnt be because of the points you mentioned. It would be becuase of diplomatic influence of Pak goverment. You seem to be harbouring the impression that Dubai has to follow the world standars on human rights. It does not. Under UAE law in a drug case, you are guilty until proved innocent and things like "signs not displayed", is no excuse. in fatc ignorance of law is not an excuse in any country. Link to comment
Laaloo Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 padosi site saying dubai released the druggie and is back on his way to pakistan. Link to comment
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