Tweets that insulted Rulers were ‘copied’

ABU DHABI // The lawyer of a man accused of insulting the UAE’s Rulers and judicial system on Twitter claimed the tweets had been “copied and pasted” from other accounts.

N F, 27, an Emirati, is said to have called the court procedures in a 2012 sedition trial “a farce” and also insulted symbols of the country.

At his trial at the Federal Supreme Court, he previously claimed his account had been hacked and it was not him who had written the tweets.

His lawyer, Yousef Al Ali, said investigations had not proved that he had posted the tweets.

“Most tweets were copied and pasted from other accounts or online forums. This shows it could be hacked or used by another. Investigators did not take the time to find out his writing style, or where his thoughts were orientated,” he said.

Mr Al Ali also argued that his client was loyal to the country and its leaders.

He submitted a short poem by N F where he praised the Rulers, especially Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.

The public prosecution did not respond to the defence’s arguments.

The verdict is due to be announced on Monday.