Five men including an American and two Indians were sentenced to prison time in the United Arab Emirates for making a parody video lampooning Dubai teens and teachers and posting it on YouTube.  They were convicted under a broadly written cyber crime law.

“These young filmmakers are suffering the consequences of authorities who are increasingly sensitive to any form of criticism, no matter how mild.  This case has laid bare problems with due legal process and restrictive internet laws in the UAE,” said the Emirates Centre for Human Rights (ECHR) director Rori Donaghy.

The video mocks Dubai youth for adopting tough guy mannerisms, despite not being very tough or brave. It opens with the disclaimer, “The following events are fictional and no offence was intended to the people of Satwa or UAE.”

29-year-old Shezanne Cassim from Minnesota and the two Indian men were sentenced to a year in prison plus a fine of approximately A$3,000.  Two brothers from Dubai were sentenced to lesser prison terms and half the fine of the others.  A Canadian woman, a British woman, and an American man were convicted in absentia and probably won’t be going back if they have any brains whatsoever.

The nervous UAE government decided they violated “Article 28”, a nebulous law which calls for imprisonment for anyone who uses information technology “with the intent of inciting to actions, or publishing or disseminating any information, news, caricatures, or other images liable to endanger state security and its higher interests or infringe on the public order.”