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posted by n1 on Monday March 09 2015, @04:55PM   Printer-friendly
from the fighting-crime dept.

AP reports that Ryan Pate, a helicopter mechanic, took to Facebook while in Florida after a dispute over sick leave with his company and when he returned to Abu Dhabi last month, he was told to report to the police station, where he was arrested for breaking a United Arab Emirates law on slandering his employer. Pate was shown screenshots of the Facebook message and told his employer had filed charges accusing him of breaking wide-ranging Emirates laws that ban slander. The laws were introduced in late 2012 and make it an offense to use the net to mock or deride organizations and individuals. Pate spent about 10 days in jail and is now free on bail awaiting a March 17 trial. His supporters say he faces up to five years in prison and a steep fine if convicted. "I just couldn't register it in my head because as an American growing up in the United States, the First Amendment right is just ingrained in my brain," says Pate. "I never even entertained the fact that I would wind up in prison out here for something I put on Facebook in the United States."

Pate's congressman, Rep. David Jolly, intervened on his constituent's behalf, lobbying the State Department and Emirates officials for help. In a letter to the Emirati attorney general, Jolly emphasized respect for the sovereignty of the country, but argued because the posts occurred while Pate was on American soil, those laws shouldn't apply. "It is deeply troubling that Mr. Pate now faces judicial proceedings over an action that was done legally in his home country," says Jolly. Speaking via phone from his apartment in Abu Dhabi, Pate was remorseful. β€œI just want to apologize to everybody I dragged into this,” he said. β€œIt is embarrassing, and I never meant for this to happen. I let my emotions get the better of me.”

 
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  • (Score: 2) by VLM on Monday March 09 2015, @07:03PM

    by VLM (445) Subscriber Badge on Monday March 09 2015, @07:03PM (#155035)

    Yeah thats my point exactly, I'm not sure how to poke them and piss them off more than by having the USA of all people claim laws end at national borders.

    Seriously, like that congressdude is trying to get the poor bastard the death penalty not just prison. Gotta be more to the story, like either the congressdude is clinically diagnosed as cognitively disabled or the poor bastard donated money to the wrong political team. Not necessarily exclusive of each other of course.

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  • (Score: 1) by nitehawk214 on Monday March 09 2015, @07:39PM

    by nitehawk214 (1304) on Monday March 09 2015, @07:39PM (#155050)

    Yeah, I think this is the great problem. Each country has laws that are hilariously restrictive when compared to one another.

    It seems like what we end up with is being held to the most restrictive of each law. The real problem is in this case the law in question is a clear human rights violation. Yes, the US does it too, but in this case the UAE are clearly in the wrong on the grand scheme of things.

    --
    "Don't you ever miss the days when you used to be nostalgic?" -Loiosh