Abu Dhabi: Eight of nine defendants charged with threatening national security after posting a spoof video about Dubai’s Al Satwa area were handed prison sentences by the State Security Court at the Federal Supreme Court on Monday.
Three of the suspects, a Briton, American and a Canadian were tried in absentia and received a one-year sentence and a Dh10,000 fine.
Meanwhile, two Indians and an American will face a year’s imprisonment along with Dh10,000 fine and deportation. Two of the three Emirati brothers were found guilty of being involved in the crime and now face eight months in jail besides Dh5,000 fine, while the third brother was acquitted.
The defendants were detained after posting a 19-minute parody video on a popular video sharing website, where they explored the fictitious art of self-defense against the Al Satwa G’s (or gangsters).
The video’s introductory segment states: “The following events are fictional and no offence was intended to the people of Satwa and UAE.”
In the “mockumentary”, two of the defendants were seen speaking to a third Arab Satwa resident, who exhibited skills he used to train members in his combat school. During the “training sessions”, the Emirati n’aal (footwear) and agal (black, rope-like headwear) were used as weapons against Satwa G’s.
The trainer then takes the two presenters on a drive around the neighbourhood, where he warns two foreign women not to wander around the area.
The hearing was presided by Chief Justice Dr Abdul Wahab Abdool.
