Abu Dhabi: The State Security Court at the Federal Supreme Court sentenced an Emirati to 10 years in prison and confiscated his electronic devices on charges of creating and running a social media account that insults the UAE’s leadership and the country’s institutions.
The court also shut down the account, and confiscated pictures and documents that belonged to the Emirati man, Ahmad Abdullah Al Wahdi.
Another defendant, Mohammad Khalid Sudan, a Syrian, was sentenced to five years in prison on charges of forging official documents belonging to Sharjah University and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc).
The man will be deported after serving his sentence, with the court having confiscated damaging pictures and documents belonging to him. Sudan’s list of accusations include using fake documents to import electronic chips used for military purposes, and exporting them to a military research centre that is affiliated with the Syrian regime.
During the same session, the court, presided over by Judge Falah Al Hajiri, looked into the case of another Emirati, N.E.F., who is also accused of running a social media account that mocks and insults the UAE’s leaders and officials.
The case was adjourned to June 8 as the defendant’s lawyer is out of town, and to allow the defendant to examine his case files.
Additionally, the court adjourned the case in which a Kuwaiti national, K.F.E., is accused of insulting the UAE’s leadership on social media to June 1. The case was adjourned based on the request of the defendant’s lawyer who wishes to examine the case files and have a meeting with his client.
