Abu Dhabi: The Federal Appeals Court heard on Tuesday the appeal of Emirati university student M.S. convicted of intending to join terror outfit Daesh, while knowing it is a terrorist organisation.

M.S. was convicted of four charges by the State Security Court including communicating with a member of the terrorist group via social media platforms, specifically via an intermediary called ‘Khetab Al Emarat’, and pledging allegiance on social media to the leader of Daesh, Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi.

The prosecution also accused her of wiring Dh2,300 via an exchange house to ‘Khetab Al Emarat’ — an individual terrorist — and creating social media accounts that promoted ideologies of Daesh.

The defendant also acted as an intermediary between Daesh members residing outside the country, and passed on information to them by creating two online social media accounts.

The court heard the defence of her lawyer, Hamdan Al Zeyoudi, who said the investigation procedures were invalid, claiming it occurred under coercion, duress and physical and psychological torture, and that his client was interrogated in solitary confinement for long days, which negatively impacted her psychological and moral condition.

He added, “My client did not provide any money to Daesh, and the Dh2,300 she transferred was a financial humanitarian assistance to a poor Syrian refugee family of a mother and her children, and not to support any terrorist groups.”

Al Zeyoudi pointed out that the prosecution’s investigation showed that the defendant failed to travel to Turkey or Syria to join Daesh because her passport was with her father at that time.

“This proves that my client had no intention of travelling or joining any terrorist group, and that she could have gotten her passport and tried to flee the country; however, she did not do that, which proves that she did not intend to join Daesh or any other terrorist group.”

He added, “The area in which the defendant lives is close to the country’s borders and a neighbouring Gulf country, and my client could have easily stolen her passport from home and travelled abroad, but she did not do that because she had no intention of joining any terrorist organisation.”

Al Zeyoudi said the prosecution did not provide adequate evidence proving that the defendant had joined any terrorist group, and that his client denied pledging allegiance on social media to the leader of Daesh and demanded her acquittal.

The court will issue a verdict on February 22.

A second court case was posted for February 22 to pronounce the verdict.