26-year-old Fadli Rahman and 37-year-old Nur Qistina Fitriah Ibrahim returned to Singapore safely today after they were arrested in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) earlier this month for “wearing women’s clothes in public and for behaving indecently.”
The duo, who were initially sentenced to 1 year in prison had their sentences significantly reduced to to a Dh10,000 fine (about S$3,600) and deportation following intercessions by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, multiple meetings with the Singapore Embassy and public outcry.
Minister for Foreign Affairs, Vivian Balakrishnan, announced the Singaporeans’ safe return home:
Glad to know that our two fellow Singaporeans in Abu Dhabi, Muhammad Fadli Abdul Rahman and Nur Qistina Fitriah Ibrahim,…
Posted by Vivian Balakrishnan on Monday, 28 August 2017
He reminded Singaporeans to respect and abide by local laws when abroad. In this case, cross-dressing, homosexuality, and transgender behaviour are criminal offenses in the UAE.
It has been reported that Nur Qistina is a transgender who has not undergone sex reassignment surgery to become a woman but has undergone a legal name change. Fadli is a fashion photographer who was in Abu Dhabi for a photoshoot.’