Pair fined Dh10,000 for online comments on biker wedding video

The video of the couple’s ‘bikers’ wedding’ went viral last March.

A screenshot of the video posted on Youtube by Amman Alyoum on the wedding of Nadia Hussein and Emirati Salem Al Muraikhi. Courtesy: Amman Alyoum

ABU DHABI // Two men have been fined Dh10,000 each after they were found guilty of defaming a couple in comments left on an online video of the bride and groom riding motorbikes after tying the knot.

The Emirati defendants, one of whom was described in Abu Dhabi Misdemeanor Court as a social media celebrity who has more than 250,000 followers on Instagram, and the other as a poet, were found guilty of insulting Nadia Hussain and her husband Salem Al Muraikhi.

The video of the couple’s “bikers’ wedding”, which featured them riding separate flower-and-netting festooned Harley Davidsons – the bride on a Sportster Forty-Eight – from their reception at Abu Dhabi’s Al Raha Beach Hotel to Dubai accompanied by dozens of other bikers, went viral last March.

However, it also attracted criticism. Mrs Hussain said she received death threats and insults online which drove her to cancel her honeymoon to the Seychelles.

Critics accused her of breaking UAE traditions and values when she rode off on a motorbike.

Mrs Hussain, an Emirati, and her husband, who are both members of the Emirates Riders motorcycle club, saved the insults they received on a flash drive and presented it to police. They sued 40 internet users and this was the first case heard in court. A second case involving seven defendants is now with public prosecution and will soon be referred to court.

The defendants denied defamation charges in court but were fined. They have already appealed against the verdict and the first hearing has been scheduled at the end of this month, said their lawyer, Ali Al Mansouri.

He previously argued that the comments were trivial and described the incident as “an intrusive trend to the UAE society”.

“Every person has the right to be creative in their wedding – we do not have a problem with that – but when it affects the norm and modesty features there is an issue,” he said.

He argued that if a bride was walking the streets in her wedding gown, she would be stopped by the police “because this is a violation of public order”.

Once the conviction is final after passing through the upper courts, the case will be referred to the civil court to decide on a suitable amount of compensation. Mrs Hussain originally filed a compensation lawsuit for damages caused by the defendants, adding that she did not care about the money as much as holding the antagonists responsible.