⚠️JUST IN: Threat actor Ryan Pepper speaks from UAE detention

28 year old Ryan Pepper from Kent, UK, has now been held in Sharjah detention centre for over 7 months without charges. He still does not know what crime he is accused of.

In a secretly recorded voice note, Pepper revealed he and other detainees were forced to sign legal documents in Arabic under threat of having their hands broken. None were given translations.

Pepper and 14 others on his case including 7 British nationals, all in their twenties — allege they were blindfolded, stripped, beaten, sexually assaulted, and psychologically tortured in small rooms where CCTV was turned off. Guards allegedly recorded the assaults and shared them on WhatsApp and Snapchat. Pepper was hospitalized at least once.

Conditions include 30–40 minutes outside his cell per day, months without daylight, constant bright lights preventing sleep, and no drinking water. Detainees believe the food is drugged and only eat commissary items purchased with family money.

British Embassy officials visited Pepper and witnessed his cracked teeth and head bandage, yet the family has been told an investigation could take over a year. His two children, aged 1 and 3, haven’t seen him in over six months.

Radha Stirling, CEO of Detained in Dubai, confirmed a dramatic spike in British citizens reporting torture and arbitrary detention in the UAE, calling Pepper’s case “not an isolated incident.”

@arch