American jailed in UAE over satirical video
An American citizen and others have been imprisoned since April for uploading a satirical video in the UAE, where restrictive cybercrime laws conflict with recent accolades in the Western press.
An American citizen and two Emiratis have been imprisoned for violating the United Arab Emirates’ cybercrime laws after uploading a satirical video to YouTube, according to family members.
Dubai police arrested Shezanne “Shez” Cassim on April 7, and he’s been sitting in jail ever since. In June, he was moved to the maximum-security Al Wathba prison in Abu Dhabi and faces charges in the federal State Security Court. Security forces have also jailed two Emiratis and two Indians involved in the video, according to the Emirates Center for Human Rights. Their identities have not been released.
