A transgender woman from Singapore has been sentenced to a year in prison in the United Arab Emirates for dressing in a feminine manner, according to her family.

Nur Qistina Fitriah Ibrahim and her friend, photographer Muhammad Fadli Bin Abdul Rahman, were arrested in Abu Dhabi on August 9. According to Radha Stirling of Detained in Dubai, they were stopped by police while having lunch at Yas Mall.

"The UAE has built a tolerant, cosmopolitan image, but the laws continue to reflect the conservative, traditional values of the society," Stirling wrote on LinkedIn. It is not uncommon for visitors to be confused about what is or is not acceptable behavior." (Fadli was reportedly wearing a white T-shirt, a bow tie and earrings.)

Police did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment but cross-dressing, homosexuality and being transgender are all criminal activities in the UAE, and Ibrahim's documents still list her as male. She had frequently traveled to Abu Dhabi before, though, and never run afoul of the law.

She and Rahman believed the issue would be resolved quickly and did not hire a lawyer, reportedly per the advice of the Singapore Embassy in Abu Dhabi.

While the UAE is increasingly seen as a cosmopolitan getaway for Western tourists, this isn't the first time LGBT travelers have run afoul of the law: In 2008 two lesbians were sentenced to a month in prison for showing affection in public. More recently, in 2014, two transgender Brazilian women were arrested at a Dubai nightclub in Dubai for "imitating women."

And last August, Gigi Gorgeous was detained at Dubai International Airport, where her passport was confiscated by authorities who refused to recognize her gender. She was detained five hours before eventually being released.

The two may file an appeal on September 4 and friends in Singapore are tying to find them legal counsel in Abu Dhabi.