An Emirati man sentenced to 10 years in prison for insulting the UAE and its leaders received a final judgment by the country’s highest appeal court.
Ahmed Mansoor Al Shehhi failed to overturn the conviction first handed down by the Federal Appeals Court in May last year.
The Emirati, 49, had his appeal rejected by the State Security Court yesterday after at least five previous procedural hearings.
He will serve 10 years in prison and must pay a Dh1 million fine. He will also remain under surveillance for three years after his release.
Mansoor was found guilty of committing cyber crimes and publishing false articles that defamed the UAE and its foreign policy, the court ruled.
He was also convicted of spreading sedition, chaos, sectarianism and hate through Facebook and Twitter. He was acquitted, however, of a charge that he financed terrorists.
The conviction is not subject to any further appeal.
Mansoor was first detained in March 2017. He was previously accused in a high-profile State Security Court case that became known as the “UAE Five” in 2011.
He and four others – Nasser bin Ghaith, Fahad Salim Dalk, Hassan Ali Al Khamis and Ahmed Abdul Khaleq – were accused and convicted of insulting the country and its leaders.
He was sentenced to three years in prison at the time but a presidential amnesty for him and the other four followed soon after.
Between his release and subsequent arrest in 2017, Mansoor actively criticised the UAE and neighbouring countries.
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
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Company%20Profile
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UK's plans to cut net migration
Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.
Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.
Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.
Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.
The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
