An Emirati man was sentenced to two months in jail after calling a woman ‘stupid’ over WhatsApp. The defendant had no previous convictions so the prison term was suspended for three years, but he was fined 20,000 dirhams – £4,000 – for violating United Arab Emirates cyber crime laws.
He said he had proposed to the woman as they were getting to know each other online and ‘spontaneously’ sent the messages without meaning to offend her, English-speaking Arab news site Stepfeed reported.
The case dates back to March and became a popular talking point on Twitter among Arab commentators.
One insisted ‘He deserves this and more’ while another said ‘This world is doomed, no one can talk to anyone anymore.’
The defendant is appealing his sentence, asking for his jail term to be cancelled since he has already paid the fine.
Abu Dhabi’s Court of Appeal is now set to decide his fate on October 14.
The UAE’s laws on cybercrime are incredibly strict, with other cases involving a woman being jailed for three months after looking through her husband’s phone without him knowing.
The woman’s husband filed the lawsuit, accusing her of violating his privacy, and a court in Ras Al Khaimah – the northernmost emirate of the United Arab Emirates and known for its Arabian Gulf beaches – convicted her.