Envoy: No reasons given for UAE's arrest of 14 Lebanon citizens

Lebanon’s Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Fouad Dandan, said he does not have information on the reasons why Emirati authorities arrested 14 Lebanese citizens last month as they played football.

Lebanese LBCI TV channel reported Dandan as saying that the investigations are still secret, noting that the Lebanese community is the second largest Arab community in the UAE, and has the lowest number of arrests.

Remarking on the UAE’s decision to suspend visa applications for Lebanese citizens, Dandan said he has not been officially informed of the decision, adding that he had contacted Emirati authorities who confirmed no such decision has been made.

“Some Lebanese managed to obtain visas while others were unable to do so. There are conditions for obtaining visas, and in Lebanon there is a state of panic so people who submitted more than one visa application in one day have caused the ‘system’ to refuse their application. The only Emirate that has lifted the ban on visitors’ visa is Dubai in light of the measures taken to prevent the spread of coronavirus,” he added.

READ: Lebanon’s Geagea says resort to ICC over Beirut port blast, if local probe fails

Massive blast rocks Beirut, Lebanon – Cartoon [Sabaaneh/MiddleEastMonitor]