BBC News said:A rights group says a US man is being held in a maximum security prison in UAE accused of endangering national security after posting a parody video about youth culture in Dubai.
Shezanne Cassim, a consultant, is the first foreign national to be charged under a 2012 cybercrimes law, says the Emirates Centre for Human Rights.
Mr Cassim has been held since April without a trial date, says the centre.
It says the law has also been used to prosecute local political activists.
A number of other foreign nationals who took part in the video have also been detained, says the London-based Emirates Centre for Human Rights.
Shezanne Cassim, 29, moved to Dubai in 2006 after graduating from the University of Minnesota, and later became a business consultant in the aviation division of PricewaterhouseCoopers, said his brother Shervon.
An American citizen, born in Sri Lanka, he was arrested in April 2013 and had his passport seized by the authorities in Dubai, says the Emirates Centre for Human Rights.
The centre say the charges against Mr Cassim include violation of Article 28 of the cybercrimes law, which provides for imprisonment and a fine of up to 1m dirhams ($272,000) for anyone who uses information technology to publish caricatures that are "liable to endanger state security and its higher interests or infringe on public order".
[...]
Set in the Satwa district of Dubai, the video is a mock documentary about the Satwa Combat School, a fictional establishment in which students are taught to throw sandals as a form of weapon, and seek aid through the social media when in need of back-up.
In a statement, Mr Cassim's family said it poked fun at teenagers in Dubai who styled themselves as "gangstas" but were more known for their mild behaviour.
It opens with the explanatory text: "The following events are fictional and no offence was intended to the people of Satwa or UAE."
Shezanne Cassim had been refused bail on several occasions, said his family, adding that he was due to return to court on 16 December.
(Cassim seen far right in youtube video "Ultimate Combat System: The Deadly Satwa G's")
19-minute Youtube video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUk5CB9kaBY
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-25137424
If you're into MMA/Deadliest Warrior/Street gangs style documentaries videos and you're familiar with UAE culture/customs then you will find this video hilarious (I laughed at hte 2pac/snoop part). However, it is still somewhat distressing to know that the person who created the video is locked up in jail. For a country and city that portrays itself as modern and forward in comparison to it's neighbours in the region, it is concerning to see that a person can be jailed for creating a harmless video intended for fun.
It's also confusing to understand why the Dubai authorities felt the need to arrest this person. The film did not contain any insults directed towards religion or the current rulers of the country...not that these reasons justifies putting someone in jail anyway. I certainly do not believe this man posed any threat to their state security and he certainly should not have been jailed.
GAF thoughts?