Dubai court jails Indian man for accusing government of ripping off the poor
Twenty-five-year-old also fined £97,000 and told he will be deported at the end of his jail sentence.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A Dubai court has sentenced an Indian worker to three months in prison for accusing a public body of ripping off the poor, local media reports.
The court also fined the 25-year-old 500,000 dirhams (£97,000) and said he would be deported at the end of his jail sentence.
The man sent the country's Road and Transport Authority (RTA) an email in which he said public authorities were taking “poor people’s money by making them intentionally fail in driving tests and forcing them to repeat the tests”. He had recently failed his own driving test.
The RTA reported the email to Dubai Police.
Presiding judge Mohammad Jamal gave the 25-year-old the fine for mocking and offending a government department via email after the defendant pleaded not guilty.
“The mobile device that was used in the crime will be confiscated. The defendant will be deported following the completion of his punishment,” Gulf News reported him saying.
He has the opportunity to appeal the decision.
Migrant workers are heavily exploited and abused in UAE, according to Human Rights Watch. Restrictive sponsorship policies tie workers to employers, increasing their workers’ vulnerability.
The UAE has strict cyber crime laws that allow courts to heavily fine people for comments made online.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments