A British activist faces possible death in Dubai after allegedly stabbing a man to death, claiming he was acting in self-defence, a bar association said.

A British TikTok promoter is facing possible death in Dubai after allegedly stabbing a man to death in what he says was an act of self-defense, according to the Detained in Dubai law firm.

Brooke George, 23, who was a shop worker in Kent in the east of England, has been charged with murdering an unknown man, 26, whom she met on Facebook.

Dubai police have charged George with premeditated murder. If found guilty, he could be executed by gunmen, according to the website Detained in Dubai – a group that works to “ensure the safety of expatriates in the Gulf from arbitrary detention, unjust prosecution, and all other violations of their human rights,” according to its website. It bills itself as “equal parts legal counsel, communications agency, think tank, and human rights organization.”

George, who has a TikTok account featuring videos of his popular songs and takes make-up lessons, traveled to Dubai after forming an online relationship with the man, the group said.

He described his first visit, which lasted a week, as “the time of my life.”

DiD said in a statement that she was “overwhelmed by the joy of the experience” and ignored some “concerns” she felt, including “a professional photo shoot in a bikini arranged during her first visit.”

On June 1, George posted several videos and photos from Dubai on Instagram with the caption: “God has a plan. Trust it, Live it, Enjoy it.”

“I want his passport”

On George’s second visit to the UAE, however, the man’s behavior changed, DiD said. According to the defense team’s statement, which quotes George directly, he “continued to be controlling and abusive.”

George told friends that “things weren’t right,” according to DiD, and said he saw “disturbing videos” on the man’s computer. When she found out that he had only booked her a one-way ticket, she was left “terrified and wanting to go home.”

After a night at an Irish bar, DiD says the man got drunk and “beat her in the car before continuing the attack after returning to the apartment.”

George’s family said he panicked after he hit him, according to the group. After arranging a flight home, he says he found his belongings packed in the apartment when he returned to collect his passport.

“The family says that he was crying and asking for his passport to be returned when he was punched hard in the face and attacked,” DiD said in a statement. “Brooke says she was afraid for her life and, she took a kitchen knife in her hand, to defend herself.”

The day before the incident, “he was quiet and not a happy, happy person, but he didn’t tell me why,” George’s mother, Thereza George, was quoted as saying by DiD, which has campaigned for years on behalf of foreigners detained in the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf states.

Speaking to George after the alleged stabbing, he added that “he has never seen my daughter so scared in my life. She was crying uncontrollably. I saw that one of her eyes was badly swollen and it was starting to close.”

Promises of comfort

Police arrested George in the early hours of June 22. He was held at Bur Dubai police station, where, in an unrelated case, a UK investigation found that Briton Lee Bradley Brown, 39, died in custody in 2011 after being handcuffed to a chair and beaten.

George was forced to strip naked in front of male police officers, there was no female police officer, according to DiD, he shed tears when he told his family about his grief.

DiD said he was not allowed to contact the British embassy and was forced to make statements without a lawyer.

Dubai Police and the UAE Embassy did not immediately respond to CBS News’ request for comment on the allegations made by George and his family about DiD.

A spokesman for the British Foreign Office told CBS News, “We are in contact with the British woman detained in the UAE, we are supporting her family, and we are in contact with the local authorities.”

“This case raises serious concerns about violence against women, the right to self-defense, due process and the treatment of British nationals detained overseas,” Detained in Dubai CEO Radha Stirling said in a statement.

The group wants George to get a fair trial, and says he should be released on bail pending an investigation.

Stirling said that in recent years, an increasing number of women, including influencers, models and travelers, “have been lured to Dubai with promises of a luxurious life, paid work, holidays or romantic relationships, and later claim to be under…

Rape victims face prosecution in Dubai for crimes such as extramarital sex, according to the group. In another incident in 2024, Ireland’s Tori Towey was subsequently arrested trying to escape allegations of domestic abuse and attempted suicideaccording to DiD.