UAE court jails man over video promoting marriage to minors in Morocco

ABU DHABI: An Emirati court has sentenced a man to three years in prison and imposed a fine of AED5 million after he posted a social media video that authorities said promoted marriage to underage girls in Morocco and included false claims about Moroccan law.

According to a statement carried by the state news agency WAM and reported by Geo International, the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeals’ State Security Chamber found Saif Salem Saif Ali Al Maqbali guilty in the case.

The court also ordered that the video be taken down, his social media accounts be shut, and the mobile phone used to publish the material be confiscated.

Case sent for urgent trial

Prosecutors said the matter was referred for an urgent trial after investigations concluded that the defendant had uploaded a video encouraging marriage to underage girls in Morocco. They also said he falsely asserted that Moroccan law permits such marriages.

Authorities said the content went beyond misinformation and carried broader social implications. Investigators stated that the language used in the video could inflame tensions and damage ties between Emirati and Moroccan communities.

In their assessment, the wording in the video had the potential to

promote hatred and social division

and to undermine relations between the two communities.

Court orders additional penalties

Alongside the prison term and financial penalty, the court issued a series of additional orders linked to the online post. These included removing the video from circulation, closing the defendant’s social media accounts and seizing the device used to upload the content.

The case, as outlined in the statement reported by WAM, centred on both the promotion of marriage involving minors and the publication of what prosecutors described as false legal claims concerning Morocco.

No further details were provided in the report about when the video was posted or on which social media platform it appeared. The statement, however, made clear that the court treated the matter as one involving state security concerns, with the case heard by the State Security Chamber of the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeals.

The ruling underscores the legal consequences in the UAE for online content that authorities say spreads false information and risks fuelling social discord. In this case, prosecutors said the material not only misrepresented Moroccan law but also carried language that investigators believed could deepen divisions and harm community relations.