Dubai: The case of an Indian man who filmed an Emirati employee beating a mini bus driver and uploaded it on YouTube, was dropped after the Emirati’s family waived their defamation complaint.
Meanwhile, the assault case against the Emirati was dropped after the Indian driver waived his complaint against the employee.
The Dubai Public Prosecution dismissed the two cases [assault and defamation] that attracted public attention after the video filming the incident was posted on social media networks, according to a media statement issued by the Government of Dubai Media Office.
“The decision to dismiss the charges in both cases came after the litigating parties in both cases dropped their complaints and waived their rights. The investigating authorities initiated all legal actions relevant to the crime to guarantee all parties’ rights pursuant to the applicable laws,” said Dubai’s Attorney-General Essam Eisa Al Humaidan on Sunday.
The statement said the Emirati was dismissed from his work and that he and the Indian, who uploaded the video on the internet, were released from provisional detention.
Al Humaidan stressed the importance of increasing awareness regarding some practices that could be a violation of the law and the consequent moral or tangible damages.
Dubai’s Attorney-General clarified that bad individual behaviour or misconduct cannot be generalised as a social behaviour, and each individual should carry the consequence of his/her actions.
“Tolerance and kindness are basic Emirati values, and the UAE community is characterised by its diversity. The UAE community is a unique model for coexistence and harmony under supremacy of the law that does not distinguish between people, and this value of equality is a fundamental pillar of safety and security,” said Al Humaidan.
He called on Dubai residents not to hesitate to use any evidence that they may have regarding any legal violations or crimes. He stressed the importance of adhering to correct legal procedures by reporting to the police and submitting any evidence to avoid any legal complications despite good faith.
Dubai prosecutors had charged the Emirati employee with physically assaulting the driver while another Indian man was accused of posting a video [footage of the assault] online [YouTube] to cause damage.
As per article 20 of the Criminal Procedures Law, prosecutors dismissed the case against the Emirati after the driver waived his complaint and dropped his accusations.
The Emirati’s family waived their complaint against the Indian man, who filmed the assault incident and posted it on YouTube, hence prosecutors dismissed the defamation case against the Indian.
The family had considered in its defamation complaint [against the Indian] that viewers’ comments that were posted over the internet footage exposed the assaulter’s identity and libelled them.
Since the family dropped the defamation case, the prosecutors dismissed the case and stopped the investigations and decided that the legal procedures that were taken against the Indian were enough.
