Two Bahraini men jailed for sectarian crimes in UAE

Manama : The Court of Appeals in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has sentenced two Bahraini men to three years in jail and a fine of AED500,000 (BD51,000) for committing sectarian crimes.

The two men had appeared in an online video last year, uttering sectarian statements, while in Dubai, in support of the Popular Mobilisation Forces fighting in Syria and Iraq.

Soon, calls for holding the men accountable for their statements were shared online, considering it as attempts to spread sectarianism, hatred, sedition and segregation among the people of GCC states.

They were reportedly handed-over by the authorities here to the UAE last year upon the latter’s request.

MP welcomes decision

The sentence was welcomed many citizens, including MP Theyab Al Nuaimi, who condemned the men’s acts that he said was “aimed at raising sedition and sectarianism among the people of GCC countries”.

“They only represent themselves and not the people of Bahrain. We trust the Emirati judiciary and its fair and independent decision against the sedition, so they could be an example to those who prejudice the security of the UAE and GCC states,” Al Nuaimi said in support of the sentence.

The MP, who’s also a member of the Foreign Affairs, Defence and National Security Committee in the House of Representatives, stressed on the necessity of GCC states’ unity and to combat behaviours that threaten their security.

He called for more security cooperation between states to arrest such criminals, adding that it’s a demand of the people of GCC countries.