UAE: Woman told to pay $5,500 for flouting cybercrime law

UAE - A court has ordered a woman of Arab origin to pay Dh20,000 as compensation to a couple for making derogatory comments against them on social media.

The court documents revealed that the complainant – the husband of the couple – filed a case against the defendant after she had posted several offensive comments on social media from her mobile phone.

The complainant said the statements had defamed him and his wife.

He alleged that the woman had accused his wife of committing adultery.

She also allegedly sent offensive statements to him and his wife, which led the couple to change their phone numbers following persistent online harassment.

Prosecutors had charged the woman with violating cybercrime law and defaming the couple.

Earlier, the Abu Dhabi Criminal Court of First Instance had sentenced her to two months in jail in addition to a suspended prison term of three years after she was found guilty of violating the cybercrime law.

The couple had filed a lawsuit against the defendant demanding Dh5 million (m) as compensation in damages suffered by them because of her offensive statements.

They had alleged that the woman had inflicted psychological torture on them, which tarnished their reputation among community and family members.

The court found her guilty and ordered her to pay Dh20,000 as compensation to the couple apart from bearing all their legal expenses.