UAE Sentences Emirati for Inciting Child Marriage Through Social Media

The Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeals’ State Security Chamber has sentenced Emirati national Saif Salem Saif Ali Al Maqbali to three years in prison and imposed a Dh5 million fine for using social media to promote and incite child marriages in Morocco.

The court also ordered the deletion of the offending video, the closure of the defendant’s social media accounts and the confiscation of the mobile phone used in the offence.

The UAE Attorney-General referred the defendant to an expedited trial after investigations found that he had published a video promoting marriage to underage girls in Morocco while falsely claiming such practices were permitted under Moroccan law.

Authorities said the content included rhetoric capable of fuelling sedition, hatred and social discrimination, while also harming the fraternal ties between the Emirati and Moroccan peoples. Investigators described the actions as a serious violation of UAE laws and deeply rooted social values.

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