A group of people were arrested by police in Dubai, UAE, after participating in what the law enforcement said was an “indecent video shared online”.
The police stated that a criminal case had been registered against the group and warned against “Such unacceptable behaviours do not reflect the values and ethics of Emirati society”.
A video of the incident that led to the arrest was shared online, showing more than a dozen women posing naked for a man filming them on a balcony in Dubai’s Marina neighbourhood.
The group now faces detention for six months or a fine of up to 5,000 Dirhams (approximately $1,300) on charges of public debauchery.
There’s also much harsher punishment in the UAE for the production, transmission, publication, and exploitation of gambling or pornographic materials “through an electronic site”, which is punishable by imprisonment and a fine between 250,000 (approximately $68,000) and 500,000 (approximately $136,000).
The UAE also has very strict laws governing social media, with people previously landing behind bars for their comments online. In 2018 a UK man was jailed in Dubai for sending an angry message via WhatsApp to a car dealer and the same year, American fitness guru Jordan Branford was slapped with a $68,000 fine for using the word “bitch” on Instagram.