Dubai video spoof leads to jail terms for 8
Print Edition
An American man detained for months in the United Arab Emirates and seven co-defendants were fined and sentenced to jail yesterday after being convicted in connection to a satirical video about youth culture in Dubai.
The case centers around a mockumentary uploaded to the Internet. Officials charged that the film spoof ran afoul of a 2012 cyber crimes law that tightened penalties for challenging authorities, according to supporters of one of the filmmakers, Shezanne Cassim.
Cassim, 29, is a US citizen from Woodbury, Minnesota, who was born in Sri Lanka and moved to Dubai for work after graduating from the University of Minnesota in 2006. He became the public face of the defendants after his family launched an effort to publicize his months-long incarceration following his arrest in April.
He was sentenced yesterday to a year in prison followed by deportation and a 10,000 dirham (US$2,725) fine, according to family spokeswoman Jennifer Gore.
American consular officials have been following the case closely and attended yesterday’s hearing at the State Security Court in the federal capital, Abu Dhabi.
The video, called “Ultimate Combat System: The Deadly Satwa Gs,” is set in Dubai. The documentary style clip pokes fun at Dubai youth who style themselves “gangstas” but are not particularly thuggish. It shows “combat” training including throwing a sandal and using a mobile phone to call for help. It opens with text saying the video is not intended to offend.
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