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28 March 2024

UAE cybercrime law: 'Immoral' video

(Shutterstock)

Published
By Wam

Two footballers and a website owner will tomorrow stand trial at the Abu Dhabi Court of Misdemeanour on charges of using telecommunication to insult and harm others and breaching public morals by circulating footage on the Internet.

The Abu Dhabi Public Prosecution demanded that the court hand out the maximum penalties to the suspects in accordance with article (17) of the UAE Cyber Crime Law, which punishes anyone who establishes, operates, supervises, produces, transmits, publishes and exploits through an electronic site materials that may prejudice public morals by imprisonment and a fine of not less than Dh250,000 not exceeding Dh500,000.

The suspects also face a jail term not less than one year and a fine not less than Dh250,000 and not exceeding Dh500,000 under article (21) of the same law.

While warning that the law punishes all those involved in such crimes in all their forms either by appearing, preparing, filming or re-transmitting, the Public Prosecution urged individuals to be cautious and careful when preparing, producing, using, publishing or releasing terms, words, signals, drawings or symbols or filming or recording audio-visual, readable materials that insult and harm the community and public order.

Court records showed that a reprehensible video clip screened an angry footballer making improper acts and directing offensive words to a sports personality.

The Arabic language daily ‘Emarat Al Youm’ said the three were detailed after their film went viral on social media showing one of them uttering insults and making obscene moves. The two others were also shown in the film uttering obscene words although one of them denied he published the film and that his page was hacked.

The first suspect confessed to the investigators of having made the abusive words in the video, while the second suspect confessed to have filmed the clip.

The third suspect confessed to have published the first part of the clip and claimed that his website had been hacked and the second part of the clip was published without his knowledge and consent.

“The prosecution appeals to the public to avoid such offences, mainly by sports people who are supposed to be an example for others…the prosecutor will not tolerate any such offences by any one and will face them with severe punishment,” the prosecutor said in a statement.