Published: Thu, 10 July 2025
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The European Parliament has overwhelmingly voted in favour of a resolution led by Seán Kelly MEP that condemns the unjust imprisonment of Ryan Cornelius in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) since 2008 and calls for his immediate and unconditional release. 511 MEPs voted in favour of the text during plenary votes in Strasbourg today, with 50 against and 75 abstentions.
Cornelius was arrested on debt charges when Dubai Islamic Bank foreclosed on a loan from the then-property developer, despite Cornelius being ahead of his loan repayments. The bank seized all of Cornelius’s assets, which amount to many times the value of the debt.
As chief negotiator for the resolution, MEP Kelly said: “As an Irish MEP, I am especially conscious of the pain this has caused Ryan’s wife, who is an Irish citizen, and their family”.
“The Parliament has spoken clearly today: this man’s rights have been trampled, and it’s time for the international community — especially the EU and UK — to act decisively to secure his release”, the Ireland South Fine Gael MEP said.
“Ryan Cornelius’s ongoing imprisonment is a gross miscarriage of justice, and his case is marked by a long trail of abuse and coverups. He was originally sentenced to ten years after an unfair trial, and just before his scheduled release in 2018, that sentence was unjustly extended by another 20 years through the retroactive application of a law, violating international legal standards,” Kelly added.
The motion passed today calls for the immediate and unconditional release of Mr. Cornelius, who has been held in inhumane conditions amounting to torture under international law and who suffers with serious untreated health issues such as tuberculosis, cardiovascular disease, and high blood pressure, while being denied access to healthcare.
The text expresses solidarity with his family.
“Today, the European Parliament calls on the United Kingdom to take all necessary action to ensure Ryan Cornelius’s release. The parliament also the EU to raise his case in all bilateral engagements with the UAE and closely monitor the conditions of his detention”, Kelly underlined.
The adopted resolution will now be sent to the European Commission, the Council, the VP/HR, the EU Special Representative for Human Rights, to all EU Member States, as well as to the governments of the United Kingdom and the UAE.
