Neuman & Esser, the giant international mechanical engineering group is facing massive public backlash over its support for its Managing Director, Emad Tabaza, who levelled allegations against young Scotsman Jamie Harron.
Neuman & Esser issued a statement last week reiterating the accusations of Emad Tabaza against Jamie, even embellishing them and adding verifiably inaccurate information. Now the company is suffering the wrath of social media.
According to NEA Group,Tabaza has even received death threats from anonymous members of the public over what are almost unanimously regarded as false or highly exaggerated allegations which have cost Jamie his freedom, his job and significant financial loss. the allegations could potentially see Jamie jailed for up to three years in the UAE where human rights abuses and torture have been thoroughly documented.
“It was a very strange statement by Neuman & Esser, considering the fact that they claim Mr Tabaza himself sought to have the case dismissed,” said Radha Stirling, CEO of Detained in Dubai, the British based NGO representing Mr Harron. “If NEA Group's intention was to stand by their employee, one would think they would have stood by his desire to drop the charges, rather than issuing an aggressive statement that further escalated the matter.”
Trending hashtags on social media emerged following the company’s statement calling for Mr Tabaza’s firing, with many people blaming Neuman & Esser for supporting the wrongful prosecution of Jamie Harron by a legal system many regard as corrupt and Draconian.
Shame on you Neuman & Esser," one user exclaimed, while others have been sharing the contact information for the company’s executives so that the public can express their disapproval directly. The case has even led to calls for a boycott of the UAE for visitors and tourists.
Stirling said, “We have seen people cancelling flights to Dubai, even at the cost of financial penalties, just to avoid traveling to what is increasing being seen as a risky destination.“
"Neuman & Esser is a multi-million dollar company with considerable influence in the UAE, their statement aligning themselves with the Public Prosecutor’s Office may well impact the outcome of Jamie’s case. Again, it is curious that Neuman & Esser would choose to take the side of the prosecution in this matter rather than calling for the case to be dismissed as their own employee supposedly wanted,” Stirling continued. “They have positioned themselves on the opposite side of overwhelming public opinion, not only about Jamie’s case, but about the inherent justice of the UAE legal system. We fail to see how this is in Mr Tabaza’s or Neuman & Esser’s best interests, and it may well lead to the irreparable ruin of an innocent young man’s life."