3 men in Dubai fined Dh500,000 each for insulting Islam online

Three security guards of a five-star resort have each been fined Dh500,000 by a Dubai court for insulting Islam on social media.
The Dubai public prosecution accused the three Sri Lankans, aged between 28 and 34, of contempt of religion through posts on Instagram and Facebook. It referred them to trial pursuant to the anti-discriminatory and hatred law and the Federal Penal Code.
The Dubai Court of First Instance ordered that all the three accused be deported after paying the fines.
The trio has been detained.
The case dates back to May 19 last year. It was registered at Al Barsha police station.
A police sergeant said they moved to the resort after receiving the report. "We found the three guards were already restrained by their colleagues.
"With a prosecution warrant, we later searched their places and seized their mobile phones and laptops."
The incident was reported by a senior public relations officer at the resort. "I learned about the three employees' posts in May last year. We summoned them for an internal probe. They admitted they had those posts on their accounts on Facebook."
The sergeant told the prosecution investigator that the three defendants admitted they had posted those inappropriate messages and pictures on their accounts on social media.
Copies of those messages and pictures have been used as prosecution evidence in the case file.
During the prosecution investigation, the three accused confessed to the charge.
The verdict has now become final as no one of the defendants filed an appeal within the legal deadline.
mary@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai

Marie Nammour

mary@khaleejtimes.com