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.
The government has issued no information about the case and the local media have ignored it. The media tend to ignore stories involving the security forces unless the state news agency, WAM, first addresses the matter. An official with WAM told Al-Monitor the agency hadn’t received any information about the case. Multiple attempts to obtain information from state security or other agencies have proven futile.
The video in question is a satirical comedy called “Satwa Combat School,” set in the Satwa district of Dubai. The video purports to show combat training for youths who adopt hip-hop fashion and listen to rap music. One lesson instructs how to throw a sandal at a newspaper.
