Tuesday 8 October 2013

As Dubai Rebounds, Hunger Strike Recalls the Crash | TIME.com

As Dubai Rebounds, Hunger Strike Recalls the Crash | TIME.com:

"Outside Dubai’s Central Jail is a panoramic sweep of the city’s skyline, rising higher again amid an economic rebound. Inside the prison are scores of hunger strikers who claim they are paying an unfair price for the last spectacular boom-then-bust tumble.

The hunger strike started last month by a few prisoners — all convicted under the strict financial laws of the United Arab Emirates — has swelled to more than 50 inmates demanding authorities reconsider convictions that can bring years behind bars for a single bounced check.

It marks a rare stand in a country that effectively bans political activism and swiftly cracks down on sporadic labor protests, such as a strike in May by south Asian construction workers who were promptly forced to leave the Emirates. The hunger strike also touches highly sensitive issues of investor risk as Dubai tries to rebuild its high-flying image after a stunning financial crash landing more than four years ago.

“If we don’t succeed now in making our voices heard, we may never succeed,” said an Indian businessman who was sentenced to 10 years in prison for bouncing checks."

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