Robert Black is shown in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Black, a 70-year-old American man who came to the United Arab Emirates to speak at a conference on creative thinking was arrested last month for taking a photograph of a subject deemed off-limits by authorities, his daughter and a friend said Monday. A number of foreigners have been prosecuted by a state security court in recent years for taking pictures of subjects deemed prohibited by Emirati authorities, such as palaces or embassies.DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – A 70-year-old American man who came to the United Arab Emirates to speak at a conference on creative thinking was arrested last month for taking a photograph of a subject deemed off-limits by authorities, his daughter and a friend said Monday.
Robert Alan Black is the latest foreigner to be arrested for breeching rules limiting what can be photographed in the oil-rich Gulf federation. The country is an important American ally that boasts cutting-edge architecture, including a vertical disc-shaped office building and the world’s tallest tower.
Black’s daughter, Jessica Beasley, said she is concerned about her father’s health in jail and believes any inappropriate pictures that the Athens, Georgia, man may have taken were unintentional.
She said she spoke to him by phone twice briefly since his arrest on Oct. 21.
“He took a photo where he was not supposed to. He’s very remorseful,” she said her father told her from al-Wathba prison in the Emirati capital, Abu Dhabi.