Tori Towey, the Roscommon woman who was trapped in Dubai after trying to flee her abusive husband, has returned to Ireland after Irish interventions this week.
"She's home," Radha Stirling, the CEO of the advocacy group Detained in Dubai who had been assisting Towey, said on Thursday morning.
She’s home 🍀
— Radha Stirling (@RadhaStirling) July 11, 2024
Towey, 28, arrived in Ireland with her mother Caroline on board an Emirates flight, which touched down at Dublin Airport at 12:21 pm on Thursday.
The pair were greeted by Towey's aunt Ann Flynn, who had led the campaign to bring her home.
"I'm just so relieved, I just can't believe it," Towey told reporters at Dublin Airport.
"I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone, the Embassy, the Ambassador, the Taoiseach, Tanaiste, Mary Lou, Claire Kerrane, obviously the media because without you guys I wouldn't be here right now.
"To have the support of the Irish people - this is such an amazing country and I feel bad for people who don't have the support that we have. We're such a tight country and we have each other's backs."
Towey also gave a "huge thank you" to Stirling for her assistance.
Tori Towey at Dublin Airport with her mother Caroline and Aunt Ann. She has thanked all those who campaigned for her return.
— Eleanor Burnhill (@ElMcM) July 11, 2024
“I'm just so relieved. I just I can't believe it,” she said adding that not everyone gets the support she received from their government @rtenews pic.twitter.com/S5LpZSpoOP
Towey, 28, was severely abused by her husband in Dubai, where she moved last year after accepting a job with Emirates Airlines. During one of his attacks, he tore up the Irish woman's two passports.
When Towey filed a police report and attempted to replace her passport, she learned that there was a travel ban against her, though she didn't know why. Detained in Dubai confirmed that "it's commonplace for spouses to open pre-emptive cases against the victim to try to immunize themselves from their own criminal cases."
Towey returned home to her husband, but the abuse did not subside.
According to Detained in Dubai: "Tori arranged to fly home to Ireland, but when she arrived at the airport, was told a case against her by her husband had been dropped but the travel ban remained.
"She attended the police station who assured her the travel ban would be lifted but it never happened.
"She was stuck."
The following day, her husband again launched into another rage. Towey believed he was going to kill her, as he had promised before.
"Feeling like there was no way out, Tori ran upstairs to the bathroom and wrapped an electrical lead around her neck," Detained in Dubai says.
"The next thing she remembers is an ambulance crew and police waking her up. She was taken to Al Barsha police station and kept for several hours before going home again.
"Her mother [Caroline] pleaded to the Irish Consulate, but in the absence of their assistance, boarded a flight to Dubai.
"When she arrived, she wasn’t allowed to see Tori alone, her abuser wouldn’t allow it. The three met at Emirates mall, then attended the prosecutor's office to find out what charges had been registered against her."
Towey had been charged with attempted suicide and alcohol consumption. She was told nothing could be done and that the cases against her were going to court on July 18.
Later that night, the husband went to the pub. When he returned home, he began verbally abusing Towey again and "pushing her around."
Towey and her mother packed her bags and left the home, "this time for good."
Tori Towey. (Detained in Dubai)
Detained in Dubai launched a campaign to raise awareness about Towey's plight this week, and Taoiseach Simon Harris vowed to intervene after the matter was raised to him by TDs Mary Lou McDonald and Claire Kerrane in the Dáil on Tuesday.
The next morning, following interventions from the Irish government, it was confirmed that the charges against Towey had been dropped, her travel ban had been lifted, and that she could return home to Ireland.
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