Top court rejects appeals of three men awarded prison sentences on charges linked to terrorism

The UAE’s Federal Supreme Court yesterday rejected three separate appeals filed by three defendants on terrorism charges.

The court upheld all the sentences, ranging from 18 months’ imprisonment to seven years’ imprisonment and life imprisonment, state news agency Wam reported.

In the first case, the court rejected the appeal filed by accused KS A, an Emirati, and sentenced him to life imprisonment for the charges against him and asked him to pay the judicial expenses.

The Abu Dhabi Court of Appeals had convicted him for joining and being trained by ISIL.

In the second case, the court upheld the rejection of the appeal by AS H, an Emirati, who was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment on the first and second charges, along with asking him to pay the judicial expenses. He was acquitted of the third charge but the court ordered the confiscation of the seized evidence.

He was found guilty of possessing firearms and ammunition, and securing military equipment and a sound bomb, without obtaining permission or a licence from the authorities.

In the third case, the court rejected the appeal filed by Emirati citizen KS M, who was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment.

He will be put on probation for three years after he serves the prison term. It was ruled that his communication devices would be confiscated, and the information and data extracted would be deleted. He was also asked to pay the judicial expenses.

He was found guilty of committing hostile acts against a sister country, publishing abusive images of the sister country and promoting enrolment in terrorist organisations on the internet.