UAE Activist Ahmed Mansoor imprisoned for tarnishing nation’s image on social media

UAE Activist Ahmed Mansoor has been put behind the bars for 10 years on charges of insulting the nation on Social media.

As per the prosecutors, he posted misleading information and lies about the UAE which was looked upon as a serious threat to the nation’s reputation. His posts promoted the feelings of hatred and violence against the country.

Mansoor has been imposed with a penalty of one million dirhams ($270,000). His gadgets and communication devices have also been confiscated by the authority.

As a matter of fact, it is not for the first time that Mansoor has been charged with such allegations. He was reportedly held for “tarnishing” the country’s image in March 2017.

UAE Activist Ahmed Mansoor assaulted the country’s cybercrime law which holds that the publication of any information or rumours online “with intent to make sarcasm or damage the reputation, prestige or stature of the state” or any of its rulers, its institutions, its flag, or its anthem, is a criminal offence.

The news of Mansoor’s arrest garnered a lot of attention and responses. A number of international human rights organizations firmly opposed the move and asked the authorities to release him.

According to Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, “The UAE has exposed itself as a brutally repressive place more interested in sending rights defenders to rot in jail than in any real reform.”

“So long as Mansoor remains in prison, no amount of money nor army of public relations firms will be able to wash away this stain on the UAE’s reputation,” she said.

A statement by Amnesty International’s Lynn Maalouf said, “Ahmed Mansoor is one of the few openly critical voices in the UAE, and his persecution is another nail in the coffin for human-rights activism in the country.”