Abu Dhabi Federal Appeal Court issues six separate rulings against

During its session today, the Abu Dhabi Federal Appeal Court issued six separate rulings against 13 accused persons.

The court sentenced Gulf Cooperation Council, GCC, national "S.T.M." to 10 years in prison, fined him AED1 million and placed him under strict supervision for three years starting from the end of his sentence while obliging him to pay administrative costs, for publishing information on Twitter to harm the country’s reputation.

The court also ordered the confiscation of his communication devices and the closure of his websites used to commit his crimes.

In the second case, the Court sentenced Arab nationals "M. A. A.," "A. S. A.," "Y. S. A.," and "B. A. S." to 10 years in prison and fined them AED1 million each for promoting a terrorist organisation, through spreading and possessing of pictures, video clips and electronic documents and distributing them to others. There were also sentenced to be deported from the country after their sentence, and their communication devices were confiscated and the relevant information and data were erased.

The first and fourth persons are also accused of spreading news that will endanger the country’s interests while the third and fourth persons are accused of promoting a terrorist organisation.

The court also fined the first and second persons AED 6,000 for possessing ammunition without a licence while obligating them to pay the judicial expenses. It also ruled that the first and fourth persons are innocent of the charge of attempting to join a terrorist organisation.

In the third case, the court sentenced Gulf national "A. M. R." to 10 years in prison and fined him AED100,000 while placing him under surveillance for three years starting from the end of his sentence, for sharing intelligence with a foreign country and insulting the country’s symbols.

It also sentenced Gulf national "S. M. E." to three years in prison, fined him AED50,000, and ordered his deportation after the end of his sentence, for insulting the symbols of the UAE and the Gulf. It also ordered the confiscation of his communication devices and the destruction of relevant information and data while obligating him to pay judicial expenses.

In the fourth case, the court sentenced "S. M. A." to seven years in prison for the first and third charges of sharing intelligence and photographing oil establishments while obligating him to pay judicial expenses. It found him innocent of the second charge of insulting a country’s symbols and ordered the confiscation of his communication devices.

The court issued a ruling on the fifth case sentencing the first and third accused, "B. M. H." and "W. M. H.," to seven years in prison, and the second accused, "E. A. H.," to 18 months for joining the terrorist organisations, Daesh and Al Nusra Front.

It also ordered their expulsion from the country after the end of their sentences, the confiscation of their communication devices, and the deletion of pictures and messages while obligating them to pay judicial expenses.

In the sixth case, the court sentenced Gulf national "H. A. R." to 15 years in prison and Arab national "E. A. H." to 10 years for supplying a foreign country’s embassy with military information that might damage the UAE’s military stature. It also ordered their expulsion from the country after the end of their sentences, and the confiscation of papers, information and communication tools that contain information related to the case while obligating them to cover the judicial expenses.