3-year jail term, AED5 million fine for Emirati convicted of inciting marriage to minors in Morocco via social media

WAM
20 May 2026, 20:01 GMT+10

ABU DHABI, 20th May, 2026 (WAM) -- The Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeals' State Security Chamber, today sentenced Emirati national Saif Salem Saif Ali Al Maqbali to three years in prison and imposed a fine of AED5 million.

The court also ordered the deletion of the offensive video, the closure of the defendant's social media accounts, and the confiscation of the mobile phone used in committing the offence.

The UAE Attorney-General had referred the defendant to an expedited trial after investigations revealed that he had published a video containing incitement and calls for marriage to underage girls in the Kingdom of Morocco, falsely claiming that Moroccan laws permit such practices.

Investigations further confirmed that the defendant used rhetoric capable of provoking sedition, hatred and societal discrimination, while offending the fraternal relations between the Emirati and Moroccan peoples, constituting a serious violation of the laws and deeply rooted societal values of the UAE.

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