The controversial video of an Emirati man assaulting an Indian truck driver, which was circulated on the web and eventually led to the arrest of the one who shot the video, has raised concerns about the UAE’s defamation laws.
The man who shot the video posted it on YouTube garnering lot of comments and reactions from both Emiratis and expatriates but after the offender’s son approached the authorities, they instead arrested the documenter of the video.
An Abu-Dhabi based lawyer, Ali Al Abbadi said that the UAE law states that firstly, one is not allowed to photograph or shoot someone without their permission in the country, Gulf News reports.
Secondly, if such a picture or footage is posted on the web, then the person is taken into account as an offender of the laws. However, if such material is kept private, the owner of the content will not be penalized by the law.
The laws state that such an offender can be punishable by jail term and/or a fine, which can range from a minimum of one month to up to three years in prison and a fine of a minimum of 1,000 dirham to 30,000 dirham.
According to the report, experts believed that the reason that such lawsuits are normally filed is because they can be harmful to individuals’ reputations which can affect their social ties and employment status.
Legal expert, Hussain Al Jaziri said that even a text message between friends, which defames another individual, can be used as an evidence to prove as libel, something affecting the reputation of the individual. (ANI)