US woman jailed for insulting UAE acquitted after evaluation
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – A government-owned newspaper in the United Arab Emirates is reporting that an American woman has been acquitted of charges that she insulted the country after more than three months imprisonment.
Abu Dhabi-based The National reported Tuesday that a psychological evaluation showed she was mentally ill.
The 25-year old American woman, who was not named, was facing misdemeanour charges for allegedly insulting the United Arab Emirates in public after being approached by two men at the Abu Dhabi International Airport. It was not clear what she allegedly said.
While liberal on some issues, the UAE has strict laws governing expression. Defamation is treated in the UAE as a criminal rather than a civil matter. Insulting the UAE’s leaders, or the country itself, can carry a prison sentence and steep fines.
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