Man jailed for spreading rumours that harmed UAE on social media

Nasser Al Faresi, 27, an Emirati, was convicted of using Twitter to spread rumours and information that harmed the country.

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ABU DHABI // A man who called judicial procedures a “farce” has been handed a three-year prison sentence by the Federal Supreme Court.

On Monday, Nasser Al Faresi, 27, an Emirati, was convicted of using Twitter to spread rumours and information that harmed the country.

He also insulted governmental entities, mainly the Supreme Court in regards to the 2012 sedition trial and called its procedures a “judicial farce”.

Al Faresi also publicly insulted the President of the UAE and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi on the account.

Judge Falah Al Hajeri also ordered the closure of his account and fined him Dh500,000.

Mr Al Faresi and his lawyer previously argued the account had been hacked. His lawyer, Yousef Al Ali, claimed the tweets had been “copied and pasted” by hackers from other online forums.

aalkhoori@thenational.ae