Abu Dhabi: The State Security Court at the Federal Supreme Court on Tuesday sentenced a man to three years in prison, and fined him Dh500,000 for the charges against him regarding his association with the clandestine Al Islah Group.
The Federal Supreme Court had earlier ruled any association to the group as unlawful, and punishable by law.
During a 10-minute court session, Judge Mohammad Jarrah Al Tunaiji issued a ruling to confiscate electronics including a laptop, mobile phones, and cameras belonging to the defendant, Osama Hussain Al Najjar. The judge also demanded that the defendant’s website and accounts on social media are taken down permanently.
The Prosecution at State Security had earlier accused the defendant of attempting to reconstruct Al Islah Group, which belongs to the Muslim Brotherhood. Prosecution also accused Al Najjar of recruiting new members to join the organisation, and creating accounts on Facebook and Twitter to spread rumours about the UAE’s leadership and its court system.
Additionally, Al Najjar was accused of communicating with international organisations, and spreading rumours about the UAE through them.
The defendant is the oldest son of Hussain Al Najjar who last year was sentenced to 10 years in prison for similar charges regarding Al Islah Group.
Osama was accused of reviving a clandestine organisation belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood. The prosecution has also accused Osama of joining the organisation with the aim of overthrowing the UAE’s government, seizing power, and abusing rulers and leaders of the country.
The prosecution also accused the defendant of creating and running an account on Twitter with the purpose of spreading lies and rumours about the UAE, as well as using the account to defend others who had been sentenced in the same case last year.
Last month, the court, presided over by Judge Al Tunaiji, listened to an hour-long pleading by the public prosecution, followed by the pleadings from the defendant’s two lawyers.
