LAID BARE
THE inside of the Dubai apartment that hosted a photoshoot featuring 40 nude models has been revealed.
The women, who are mainly from Ukraine, are facing up to six months' jail after being arrested when the footage of the shoot went viral.
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Dubai police said they arrested a “group of people who appeared in an indecent video” on charges of public debauchery.
Videos and photographs showing the naked women, lined up on a balcony while being filmed, began circulating on social media on Saturday evening.
Pictures have now emerged showing the models lined up inside the apartment, in the city's upmarket Marina neighbourhood.
They are also seen from inside posing on the balcony in full view of the city.
As well as jail, those involved face fine of around £1,000 for violating public decency laws in the United Arab Emirates.
All of the models are understood to be from the ex-Soviet Union including Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova.
There has been speculation that the women were involved in a shoot for an Israeli version of an unidentified US adult website.
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A Russian man has also been detained and named as the organiser of the “lewd” shoot.
He is understood to claim he was in a nearby apartment and had filmed the spectacle showing the naked women.
TASS news agency later cited the Russian consul in Dubai as saying that a Russian man was being held in connection with the incident.
But a consulate source told Russian media outlet LIFE that no Russian women had been detained.
It cited a consulate source as saying: "According to the latest data received from the police of the Emirates, there are no Russian women among the detained.
“A Russian man was detained. According to the police, they suspect him of being one of those who sponsored the entire event."
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State-linked newspaper The National reported it appeared to be a publicity stunt, without elaborating.
It came as a shock in the UAE where tamer behaviour, like kissing in public or drinking alcohol without a license, has landed people in jail.
Dubai police said those arrested over the indecent video have been referred to public prosecutors.
UAE strict public decency laws
The UAE's public decency laws, which cover nudity and other 'lewd behaviour', carry penalties of up to six months in prison and a 5,000 dirham (£983) fine.
The sharing of pornographic material is also punishable with prison time and a fine of up to 500,000 dirhams under the country's laws, which are based on Islamic law, or Shariah.
The pictures came as a shock in the federation of seven Arab sheikhdoms, where tamer behaviour - like kissing in public or drinking alcohol without a licence - has landed people in jail.
Any person who lives in or visits the UAE is subject to its laws and there are no exceptions for tourists.
2017, a British woman was sentenced to one year in prison for having consensual sex with a man she wasn't married to.
“Such unacceptable behaviours do not reflect the values and ethics of Emirati society,” said police in a statement.
The UAE, while liberal in many regards compared to its Middle Eastern neighbours, has strict laws governing expression and social media.
People have been jailed for their comments and videos online.
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The country's majority state-owned telecom companies block access to major pornographic websites.
Dubai also has strict social media laws that make it an offence to insult others or even use language where people feel insulted.
The laws also forbid anything “defamatory” against the UAE and this can even include the reporting of a news article.
A woman from Surrey, Laleh Shahravesh, 55, is facing jail for calling her Dubai-based ex-husband an “idiot” and his new wife “a horse” under the Gulf state’s draconian social media laws.
Those who’ve fallen foul of the laws in the past include a Brit Yaseen Killick, jailed after venting anger on WhatsApp after being sold a car that broke down.
US fitness professional Jordan Branford was slapped with a nearly £60,000 fine after using the word “bitch” on Instagram, which his ex-wife believed was referring to her.
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Models detained for 'lewd' photo shoot in Dubai mainly from Ukraine and Russia