Man accused of defaming influencer on Snapchat
abu dhabi — A social media influencer in Abu Dhabi has accused a man of posting around 30 insulting and abusive posts targeting her on Snapchat.
The Abu Dhabi Criminal Court heard that the Emirati woman lodged a complaint against the compatriot man after her friend informed her about the insulting and abusive video messages he had posted on Snapchat.
The woman, who has about 500,000 followers on social media, said the video clips contained offensive words and phrases that undermined her dignity and damaged her reputation.
The exact words used in the videos were not mentioned in court, but investigations by prosecutors showed that the video clips were mocking and insulting.
On his part, the Emirati man denied creating the video clips and spreading them on social media, claiming that the woman had “forged” the videos to get him into trouble.
A criminal laboratory report, based on evidence gathered after examining the defendant’s phone, however confirmed that the video clips were indeed created and posted by the man.
Prosecutors said their investigations confirmed that the man created the insulting videos and spread them on social media, violating the UAE online law.
Abeer Dahmani, the lawyer representing the influencer, said: “The words and phrases in the videos ridiculed the reputation of my client and embarrassed her among her followers.”
“The accused violated the UAE online law that prohibits sharing or posting messages that insult or undermine others on social media. The offender should be penalised according to the law, which provides for a jail sentence and or a fine of not less than Dh250,000 for someone convicted over a cybercrime.”
The trial was adjourned until April 10.
ismail@khaleejtimes.com
The words and phrases in the videos ridiculed the reputation of my client and embarrassed her among her followers.” Abeer Dahmani, lawyer