Woman fined Dh60,000 by Abu Dhabi court after insulting author in live-streamed video

Defendant also given six-month prison sentence, suspended for three years

An Arab woman was given a suspended sentence after insulting an author. The National

An Abu Dhabi court has fined a woman Dh60,000 ($16,335) and given her a six-month suspended prison sentence for insulting an author during a live-stream broadcast which she shared on social media.

The woman, whose age and nationality were not disclosed, was convicted of invading the author's privacy by filming him without consent during a recent book fair held in the emirate.

Prosecutors said earlier this month that an investigation had been launched into the incident, which it said occurred during a “live broadcast”.

On Friday, Abu Dhabi Criminal court sentenced the woman to six months in prison, suspended for three years.

She was also fined Dh50,000 for invading the victim's privacy and an additional Dh10,000 for insulting him, state news agency Wam reported.

All photos and recordings related to the incident are to be deleted under the ruling.

The recording device used will be confiscated and the woman's Twitter account will be permanently closed down.

The defendant is also to be deported from the country once her three-year suspended sentence has elapsed.

The Abu Dhabi Public Prosecution said the woman had confronted the author over a previous conviction against him, which was imposed by a court outside of the UAE.

Prosecutors said they had taken "the necessary legal measures in the case after the video was posted and picked up by several social media platforms, showing the accused verbally assaulting the victim and challenging his presence at public events due to a previous conviction handed down against him in a case abroad".

"Following the investigation, the Abu Dhabi Public Prosecution indicted the woman in its decision to refer the matter to the competent criminal court on charges of arousing public opinion, invasion of privacy on social media networks, insult and defamation, and requested her punishment in accordance with the articles of Federal Decree-Law No. 34 of 2021 on Combating Rumours and Cybercrime."

Members of the public can face steep penalties if they are found guilty of insulting or defaming others online.

It is illegal in the UAE to swear or slander someone on an information network, which includes social media and messaging services such as WhatsApp.

Last month, UAE prosecutors said people found guilty of such offences could face imprisonment and fines of up to Dh500,000.

These laws were designed to tackle the misuse of online platforms, prosecutors added.