A woman has been handed a six-month suspended jail sentence and fined AED 60,000 by an Abu Dhabi court for defaming an author during a live social media broadcast during a book fair.
She will be deported from the country once the sentence has been served, the Abu Dhabi Criminal Court said in its ruling.
It added that all photos and recordings related to the incident will be deleted, her device confiscated, and her Twitter account permanently closed.
The court ruling said the sentence will be suspended for three years, and the fine will include AED 50,000 for invading the victim's privacy and AED10,000 for insulting him.
The video, which was originally picked up by several social media platforms, showed the woman verbally abusing the victim and questioning his right to attend the event due to a prior conviction in another country.
Following an investigation, the Abu Dhabi Public Prosecution charged the woman with invasion of privacy and defamation.
Abu Dhabi Criminal Court Convicts a Woman for Invading the Privacy of a Book Fair Attendee pic.twitter.com/cKDUWT24px
— دائرة القضاء-أبوظبي (@ADJD_Official) June 23, 2023
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