Influencer fined Dh300k for insulting actress online
abu dhabi — A social media influencer has been fined Dh300,000 for insulting an Emirati actress on Instagram for hailing the Saudi government’s decision to allow women to drive cars.
Court has also ordered the man to pay Dh21,000 as temporary civil compensation to the victim for the damages she suffered.
The Abu Dhabi Misdemeanour Court handed down the sentence on Thursday and also ordered that the insulting videos be deleted from the Emirati’s Instagram account. The court also ordered the account to be shut down for a period of two months. Court earlier heard that the Emirati man had made the insulting comments against the woman on his social media account after she posted a video on Instagram and Snap Chat. She was seen driving a car along with Saudi Arabian women in a convoy showing her support to the new rule that allowed Saudi women to drive cars.
The court documents stated that the man, with a huge following on social media, had on June 26, posted a video on Instagram in which he allegedly insulted the Emirati woman for celebrating the new move. The victim, popularly known as ‘Kashoona’, is a wellknown person in the UAE and also has many fans and followers on social media. She has acted in many drama series and participated in a series of art works.
At a previous hearing, her lawyer Abeer Dahmani, said that her
client was undermined by the insults and abusive comments made by the Emirati because the woman is a public figure and a respected member of the community.
According to the lawyer, when the decision allowing women in Saudi Arabia to drive cars was announced, her client participated in the celebrations as the first Emirati woman to drive a car in Saudi Arabia. She was along with a Kuwaiti woman and a large number of celebrities from several countries.
“A few days later, my client was surprised to see the defendant, one of the famous person on social media had recorded a video commenting on the event, which he posted on Instagram,” said Dahmani.
“In the video, the man insulted my client and abused her using all sorts of bad words. The comments were so offensive, undermining and had damaged the reputation of my client among her fans and in the society.”
The abusive video, which circulated on social media, according to the lawyer, also caused moral and psychological damage to her client. Prosecutors had charged the man with defamation and violating online laws. He had denied the charges but court convicted him based on the evidence presented by prosecutors.
In the video, the man insulted my client and abused her using all sorts of bad words. The comments were so offensive, undermining and had damaged the reputation of my client.”
Abeer Dahmani, victim’s lawyer