(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) The Abu Dhabi Court of Appeals upheld the ruling issued by the lower court regarding a social media influencer who was fined Dh300,000 for insulting an Emirati actress on Instagram for hailing the Saudi government's decision to allow women to drive cars.
The court had ordered the man to pay Dh21,000 as temporary civil compensation to the victim for the damages she suffered.
The Abu Dhabi Misdemeanour Court had handed down the sentence and also ordered that the insulting videos be deleted from the Emirati's Instagram account. The court also ordered the account be shut down for a period of two months.
The Emirati man had made the insulting comments against the woman on his social media account after she posted a video on Instagram and Snapchat.
She was seen driving a car along with Saudi Arabian women in a convoy showing her support to the new rule that allowed Saudi women to drive cars.
Official court documents stated that the man, with a huge following on social media, had on June 26, 2018, posted a video on Instagram in which he allegedly insulted the Emirati woman for celebrating the new move.
The victim, popularly known as 'Kashoona', is a well-known person in the UAE and also has many fans and followers on social media. She has acted in many drama series and participated in a series of artworks.
At a previous hearing, her lawyer Abeer Dahmani said that her client was undermined by the insults and abusive comments made by the Emirati because the woman is a public figure and a respected member of the community.
According to the lawyer, when the decision allowing women in Saudi Arabia to drive cars was announced, her client participated in the celebrations as the first Emirati woman to drive a car in Saudi Arabia. She had accompanied a Kuwaiti woman and a large number of celebrities from several countries.
"A few days later, my client was surprised to see the defendant, a famous person on social media, had recorded a video commenting on the event which he posted on Instagram," said Dahmani.
"In the video, the man insulted my client and abused her using all sorts of bad words. The comments were so offensive, they undermined and damaged the reputation of my client among her fans and in the society."
The abusive video, which was circulated on social media, according to the lawyer, also caused moral and psychological damage to her client.
Prosecutors had charged the man with defamation and violating online laws. He had denied the charges but thecourt convicted him based on the evidence presented by prosecutors.
The UAE cybercrime laws stipulates a penalty of imprisonment for between one year to three years and or a fine of between Dh250,000 and Dh1 million if someone is found guilty of the offence.
Ismail Sebugwaawo
MENAFN1812201800490000ID1097846604
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