Man gets one year in jail for Facebook slander

Dubai: An employee, who posted a “blasphemous and slanderous” status on Facebook after he saw a news bulletin about the Iraq war, has been sentenced to a year’s imprisonment.

The 41-year-old Indian man posted the status last July.

The Dubai Court of First Instance convicted him of cursing Islam and the Prophet (PBUH) on social media networks.

The accused had pleaded not guilty.

Presiding judge Ezzat Abdul Lat said the defendant will be deported after serving his jail term.

An Indian salesman had complained to the police that he received an image of the allegedly offensive Facebook status on WhatsApp.

Records said the defendant used his iPhone 5S to post the status on his Facebook page. The Apple device was also registered in the defendant’s name.

The defendant was cited admitting to prosecutors that he was the one who posted the status on Facebook.

The iPhone was seized and sent to Dubai Police’s forensic laboratory for examination.

Thursday’s ruling remains subject to appeal within 15 days.