ABU DHABI // A Kuwaiti man has denied working with members of a Muslim Brotherhood to set up a television channel, the Federal Supreme Court heard on Monday.
K F A, 46, is accused of co-operating with some of the Emiratis convicted in 2013 for being members of a Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated group to set up and fund the Hayatona TV channel — Arabic for "Our Life".
The Beirut-based channel had been financially backed by some of the defendants in the sedition trial who were imprisoned for conspiring to overthrow the UAE Government.
K F A is also accused of working with other members of the Muslim Brotherhood through another TV channel called Al Bedaya, which was established in 2005, where he worked in a managerial position.
The defendant said he was a public relations officer and had helped to launch television channels in many countries. He said it was his job to create shows and work with a variety of people, even if he did not personally know of their backgrounds.
“I came to the UAE as a tourist and I was caught as a terrorist, and that is unacceptable. I have not one dirham on my name in this project, all I did was work within my job range,” he said.
His lawyer, Abdelqader Al Haithami, requested a witness from the State Security service to attend the next hearing. The case was adjourned to June 15.
aalkhoori@thenational.ae
