If you had the same Cybercrime laws in your country, would you be in jail too?
- Detained in Dubai
- Jul 18, 2016
- 1 min read
If you had the same Cybercrime laws in your country, would you be in jail too? Emirati man sentenced to three months in prison and fined for posting a 1 word insulting comment on an Instagram picture. This is a fine example of why the cybercrime legislation needs revision. No one should be jailed over an insulting comment on social media.
The National News reports:
SHARJAH // An Emirati man was fined Dh250,000 and sentenced to three months in jail for insulting his brother on Instagram.
The victim reported the incident to Khor Fakkan Police, saying he posted his picture on Instagram and was later surprised to read an insulting, one-word comment on his picture.
The police questioned the account holder, who denied writing the comment, and found it had been posted by the man’s younger brother.
The defendant denied the allegation before the Khor Fakkan Court of Misdemeanours, but confessed in a record of statements, citing personal disagreements with his brother, reported Aletihad, the Arabic--language sister paper of The National.
He appealed against the court’s decision, which the Khor Fakkan Court of Appeals accepted in relation to the prison sentence. It will hear the case on July 19."