The key facts

  • A foreign woman in Dubai was convicted for posting a video with her five-year-old relative without the parents' consent
  • The father learned about the video after thousands of people had watched it and went to the police
  • The court imposed one month in prison and deportation, rejecting arguments about the absence of intent to mock

A month in prison and deportation over a family video

In the UAE, a foreign woman has been sentenced to one month of imprisonment followed by deportation from the country for posting a video with her five-year-old relative on social media. This is reported by Gazeta.Ru citing Gulf News.

How the conflict unfolded

The incident took place during a family gathering: the girl tried to pronounce the name of a dish, failed, and those present laughed. The woman filmed the moment and posted it on social media. The girl's father learned about the recording only after thousands of people had already watched it; no one had asked for his consent to publish it. He believed his daughter had been made a laughingstock and went to the police. After an investigation, the case was referred to court.

The defense's arguments and the court's decision

The defendant admitted that she had filmed the girl and posted the video herself, but disagreed with the accusations of bullying. According to her, no one intended to mock the child, and the recording ended up online simply because the moment seemed funny. She also stated that she could not influence the video's further spread, since her social media page was open to everyone. The court rejected these arguments: publishing an image of a child required appropriate permission, which the woman did not have. As a result, she was sentenced to one month of imprisonment followed by deportation.

What is important to know

The case shows that in the UAE, parental consent for publishing images of children is treated by the courts as a mandatory requirement, and the absence of intent to harm does not in itself exempt one from liability: the defense relied precisely on the harmlessness of the moment and the openness of the account, but these arguments were not accepted. The practical takeaway for residents and visitors of the country is that posting photos and videos of other people's children without permission can lead not only to fines but also to a prison term with deportation. Details such as the exact date of the verdict, the nationality of the convicted woman, and whether the recording was deleted are not provided in the available publications.