Limerick man 'trapped' in Dubai begs to be allowed leave to attend his mother's funeral
The Detained in Dubai group says Irish citizen John Murphy has been barred from working since 2017 after he accrued debt in prison on charges of which he was later found innocent. File picture
A Limerick man trapped in Dubai due to debt is begging to be allowed home following the death of his mother.
John Murphy recently spent his 60th birthday destitute on the streets in the emirate, human rights group Detained in Dubai said.
The organisation says he has been blocked from leaving the country and has been barred from working since 2017 after he accrued debt in prison on charges of which he was later found innocent.
His mother, Patricia Murphy, died suddenly from a brain haemorrhage. Mr Murphy was her only son.
However, he was stopped from attending his mother’s funeral because the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government has prohibited him from leaving the country.
The debt was accrued while he was jailed for assault.
He was ultimately acquitted by the courts but had accrued a debt while in jail and lost his job and work permit, which resulted in a travel ban.
Instead of standing beside his family in Ireland to bury his mother, the former British soldier remains trapped in Dubai, sleeping rough after spending more than a decade unable to leave the UAE.
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His 60th birthday occurred on July 29. Mr Murphy is trying to survive while facing grief over his mother and a lack of medical attention for aggressive skin cancer, Detained in Dubai said.
“My biggest issue is finding shade and potable water. Your instinct every day starts with that. It’s a brutal existence and I have my military training to fall back on, even after all these years,” he said.
Mr Murphy says the pain of missing his mother’s funeral will remain with him for the rest of his life.
“I’m an only child and have always had a tight-knit bond with mum.
“The thought of not being there physically to see her off is a shame on me and will raise questions about my non-attendance that could have far-reaching negative impacts on close family and friends.”
For years, Mr Murphy says he has pleaded for permission to leave the country.
His mother’s death prompted one final appeal for compassion through his embassy, but he fears it too will be rejected.
Mr Murphy says he once enjoyed a successful career in the Gulf, arriving in Dubai with substantial savings after working in Saudi Arabia. After years of being prohibited from working, repeated legal cases and financial penalties gradually stripped him of everything he owned.
“Based on my last salary I’ve calculated that over the 11 years I’ve been prohibited from working, I’ve lost out on earnings totalling £1.5m [€1.75m]. This would have cleared any debt as I’ve never had debt in my life.
“Once my balance got below 15,000 dirhams [€3,500] they would add further cases.
"This has been going on for 11 years where they’ve bled me dry and left me destitute for something I never did.
“Since, all my savings have been eroded in constant government penalties, donations dried up and even a small box partition became unfeasible.”
Radha Stirling, the CEO of Detained in Dubai and Due Process International, said Mr Murphy’s case has become one of the most heartbreaking examples of the human cost of prolonged travel restrictions.
“No civilised justice system should leave a man homeless, unable to work, unable to leave the country, and powerless to attend his own mother’s funeral.”
Detained in Dubai is calling on the UAE authorities to immediately lift the restrictions that are preventing Mr Murphy from returning home.
They say he should be allowed at last to bury his mother and begin rebuilding a life that has been placed on hold for more than a decade.
A GoFundMe fundraising campaign has been set up to help Mr Murphy.
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