42 year old Scott Richards has been arrested and detained in Dubai for sharing a post on Facebook aimed at receiving charitable donations. The Zwam Family Charity is raising funds online for a Charahi Qambar refugee camp in Afghanistan. Mr. Richard’s, who holds but an Australian and British passport was arrested from his home in Dubai on the 28th of July, where he lives with his wife and two kids. He moved here from Australia eight years ago to work as an Economic Advisor. 

The Facebook post linked to a ‘GoFundMe’ donation page

As the #FreeScottRichard hashtag trends, residents ought to be aware of the charity fundraising laws that are in place 

10 queries today from #UAE residents who feared arrest, for supporting, even animal charities! #FreeScottRichards pic.twitter.com/PuOodRUgKM

— Detained in Dubai (@detainedindubai) August 17, 2016

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Fundraising is allowed in Dubai, but only through registered charities

When raising funs for charity, the charity needs to be officially registered in the UAE. The Zwam Family Charity, to which Mr. Richards was fundraising for, is not registered here. New laws issues last year state that charities need written permission from the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department (ICAD) in Dubai. Those who don’t follow the rules, are liable for a 100,000 AED fine and a year in prison.