Ryan Cornelius's sentence was retroactively extended by 20 years

Omissions

• The extension was made under Dubai Law No. 37 of 2009, which was applied retroactively to extend his sentence just before his scheduled release in 2018 after serving his initial 10-year sentence. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found this violated multiple human rights standards including the prohibition of double jeopardy and non-retroactivity of criminal law.

Sources

• PrimaryUN Human Rights Council - Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (OHCHR)Ryan Cornelius was not given prior notice of the 20-year sentence extension under Law No. 37 of 2009. The Working Group found his detention arbitrary and in violation of international human rights standards including the principle of non-retroactivity and double jeopardy.
• SecondaryEuropean Parliament ResolutionCondemns Ryan Cornelius's arbitrary and prolonged detention; notes he was initially sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment and his sentence was extended before his scheduled release
• SecondaryForbesUnited Nations panel called on UAE to immediately release Ryan Cornelius; he has been in jail since 2008 and his sentence was extended by 20 years under a retrospective law