RAK Court Jails TikTok User for Death Threat During Livestream Clash

A Ras Al Khaimah court has sentenced a TikTok user to three months in prison and fined another Dh1,000 after a livestream dispute escalated into insults, harassment and a death threat, reinforcing that misconduct on social media platforms can attract serious criminal penalties.

The Ras Al Khaimah Court of First Instance found both men guilty of exchanging insults through an information technology platform, intentionally disturbing others via telecommunications devices and misusing communication services for unlawful purposes during a public TikTok livestream. The ruling was issued on June 22.

The case arose from a live broadcast on May 5, 2026, when a personal dispute between two Gulf nationals unfolded before a public audience and quickly spiralled into a heated exchange of insults and threats.

According to prosecutors, both defendants used the platform to direct offensive and degrading remarks at each other, turning a private disagreement into a public confrontation. Charges included exchanging insults through electronic means, intentional disturbance via telecommunications devices, misuse of communication services and criminal threats.

The court relied heavily on digital evidence, including video recordings and images extracted from the livestream. The footage showed both men trading offensive comments and provocative remarks throughout the broadcast.

Judges found that one defendant used insulting language intended to demean the other, while the second responded with increasingly aggressive remarks, mockery and personal attacks.

The most serious evidence related to a throat-slitting gesture made by the second defendant while looking directly into the camera during the livestream. The court ruled that the gesture constituted a clear death threat under established legal and social standards, even without spoken words.

The court stressed that physical gestures conveying a threat to life carry the same legal weight as verbal threats and are sufficient to establish the offence of criminal intimidation.

During proceedings, both defendants denied the charges. The defence argued that one of the accused had been subjected to repeated provocation, harassment and cyberbullying before responding during the livestream. It also challenged the authenticity and completeness of the video evidence, claiming clips submitted to investigators had been selectively edited and did not reflect the full context of the exchange.

Additional submissions pointed to a rivalry for social media attention, with claims that one party repeatedly sought public engagement to boost online visibility. Medical records were also presented showing that one defendant suffered from hearing impairment and tinnitus following major jaw surgery, which the defence argued could have affected his understanding of events during the livestream and subsequent investigation.

The court, however, held that the video evidence clearly established the offences. Judges noted that while provocation could be taken into account during sentencing, it did not excuse insults or threats made during a public broadcast.

In its ruling, the court distinguished between the conduct of the two men, finding that one had engaged mainly in verbal insults, while the other’s actions were more serious because they included the simulated throat-slitting gesture and more inflammatory behaviour.

The first defendant was fined Dh1,000 and ordered to pay court fees, while the second was sentenced to three months in prison in addition to court costs.

 

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