Monday, May 18, 2015
Abu Dhabi: The State Security Court at the Federal Supreme Court sentenced a Qatari national to 10 years in prison on Monday, while four others from the same country were sentenced in absentia to life in prison.
All five were also fined Dh1 million on charges of creating and running websites that insult the UAE’s leadership.
The first defendant will be deported after serving his time in prison, and the court will confiscate and destroy all his electronic devices that were used by prosecution as evidence.
Presiding Judge Falah Al Hajiri said that the court took into account the circumstances of the defendant who did appear in court, considering him to be only an accessory to the crime. Thus, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison, while the others were sentenced to life imprisonment on account of them being perpetrators of the crime.
In another case, the court, also presided over by Judge Al Hajiri, sentenced an Emirati, A.S.A., 46, to three years in prison for publicly insulting and mocking the UAE’s leaders and public figures.
Meanwhile, the court adjourned to May 25 the case of Ala’a Al Hashemi, the Emirati woman who is accused of murdering an American teacher at Boutik Mall, to request the victim’s relatives (her ex-husband and her children) to appear in court.
The prosecution said it has contacted the US embassy about the matter, but was unable to get their contact details. Thus, prosecution requested more time to contact the family and request their presence, adding that the defendant’s medical report regarding her physical and mental state will be ready on Wednesday.
By Abdulla Rasheed Abu Dhabi Editor
Gulf News 2015. All rights reserved.
