Emirati man fined Dhs300,00 for insulting social media influencer

Abu Dhabi’s Court of Appeal has upheld a Dhs300,000 ($81,678) fine issued to an Emirati man convicted of slandering a social media influencer, according to reports.

Gulf News said the defendant posted a video on Instagram insulting the Emirati personality named ‘Kashoona’.

The court ordered the video clip to be deleted, the man’s social media account to be closed for two months and the confiscation of the mobile phone used to post the clip.

The defendant was also ordered to pay Dhs21,000 in temporary civil compensation for damages, according to the publication.

The insulting video came in response to Kashoona’s attendance of an event celebrating the lifting of the female driving ban in Saudi Arabia over the summer. During her visit, she was claimed to have become the first Emirati woman to drive a car in the kingdom

In response, the man posted a video on Instagram where he hurled abuse at the star, it was reported.

The UAE’s cyber and hate crime laws are among the strictest in the world and can see people fined heavily and jailed for comments deemed insulting that were made through social media and other digital channels.

In February, an Indian man was given a Dhs500,000 ($136,125) fine and three months in prison for accusing the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) of deliberately failing people during their driving test to make money.

Read: Dubai court fines Indian man $136,000 for RTA insult