Emirati jailed for inciting underage marriage in Morocco

An Abu Dhabi court has jailed an Emirati national, Saif Salem Saif Ali Al Maqbali, for three years and fined him 5 million dirhams, approximately 1.3 million dollars, for posting an online video that incited marriage to underage girls from Morocco, according to a report from Emirati outlet The National on May 20th.

Prosecutors ordered an urgent trial after Al Maqbali falsely claimed in the recording that Moroccan laws allow marriages to minors. The Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal ordered the deletion of the offensive footage, the permanent closure of his social media accounts, and the seizure of his mobile phone.

According to the National, Saif Salem Saif Ali Al Maqbali’s rhetoric represents a serious breach of UAE laws and values and offends bilateral relations between the Emirates and Morocco. This takes place at a time when both countries are growing increasingly close geopolitically, as the latest edition of Maghrebi Week reports.

Maghrebi.org, Maghrebi Week