A South African man and his Ukranian fiancée have been arrested in the United Arab Emirates for having premarital sex.
Twenty-nine-year-old Emlyn Culverwell and his 27-year-old girlfriend, Iryna Nohai, had got engaged on January 27 but were taken into custody for engaging in premarital sex, an offence in the UAE, News24 reported.
The couple’s detention followed their visit to a local medical facility as Nohai had developed some stomach cramps. Doctors, however, found that she was pregnant and informed the authorities, according to Culverwell’s mother Linda.
She went on to say that her husband had been trying to contact UAE authorities, the UAE embassy in South Africa or South African consulate in Abu Dhabi but did not receive any answers. “Every time we try to get information, it feels as though I’m hitting a brick wall,” said Linda. “We don’t even know if they have legal representation.”
Culverwell’s employer Yas Waterworld told his family that formal charges had not been framed yet because Nohai was apparently undergoing ‘further tests’ to determine how long she’d been sexually active.
“For heaven’s sake, how can they supposedly determine that?” questioned Linda, saying she was worried that Nohai’s ‘stomach cramps’ could have been signs of a miscarriage. “I can imagine the hell she is going through. It must feel as if she is being raped by the authorities. The only thing they did which was wrong, was to fall in love. It makes no sense.”
Linda further said the Ukrainian embassy had gotten involved and was trying to obtain permission for the two to get married or for them to be deported.
Meanwhile, South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation said the couple was being prosecuted in terms of UAE laws and the South African government could not do anything about it. “The South African government is aware of the case, but unfortunately cannot provide legal assistance. As [the] department all we can do is monitor the situation and try to ensure that they are fairly treated.”
