UAE court fines and jails Emirati for abusive Snapchat videos

Abu Dhabi’s Court of First Instance has reportedly sentenced an Emirati man to six months in jail and a Dhs20,000 ($5,445) fine for posting abusive messages on Snapchat.

The court came to the decision on Sunday after finding the man guilty of posting 30 insulting videos about a female Emirati social media influencer who has more than 500,000 followers, according to Gulf News.

The case was referred to the specialised civil court to look into compensation for the victim, who was not identified.

The female social media influencer filed a complaint against the man for posting the clips after one of her friends informed her of their contents, according to the publication.

She earlier told the court that the videos damaged her reputation among her followers.

The Emirati man denied that he made the videos and said the woman had forged them.

The court came to its verdict after forensic laboratory reports concluded the clips were produced by the man and published on social media.

He was charged under the UAE’s cybercrime laws, which are among the strictest in the world.

Punishments for insults using online media, including social media sites and messaging services, include a prison sentence and a fine of up to Dhs500,000 ($136,130).

Over the weekend, a man in Dubai was arrested after posting a clip of a man crying at a Roads and Transport Authority customer service desk on social media.

Read: Dubai man faces Dhs500,000 fine for filming crying RTA client