CAIRO: A man in the United Arab Emirates now faces up to three years in jail or a Dh30,000 fine for violating a law against cursing a public servant, and did so using Twitter. The case, lodged by a police chief against a civilian, is considered a first of sorts due to the use of the micro-blogging platform, the Gulf News reported. Judge Ali Attiyah Sa'ad rejected the accused's request for bail and adjourned the case to March 11. But the 42-year-old Emirati, who was charged by police chief Lt. Gen. Dahi Khalfan Tamim, insisted before the Dubai Misdemeanors Court he was not guilty. “I am not guilty. I did not mean to use such language against Lt Gen Dahi, but I meant his entourage [some of the people who work under his command],” he said. He added he had repeatedly requested to meet the plaintiff, but he was constantly refused. The Gulf News report said the charge sheet accused the Emirati of cursing a public servant. Under Article 374 of the Federal Penal Law, an offender faces a maximum punishment of three years in jail or Dh30,000 fine. On the other hand, the Gulf News report said Dahi initially waived a similar complaint against the Emirati but the accused allegedly repeatedly used foul language on the police chief's Twitter account. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/1OC2v Tags: Insult, jail for tweet, UAE man Section: Crime, Latest News, Tech, United Arab Emirates
