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 An appeals court in Abu Dhabi has upheld a ruling to suspend Arabic daily paper Emarat Al Youm and fine its editor in chief over a defamatory story published in 2006.
The 2006 story alleged that Warsan Stables had doped horses with steroids for a horse race in Abu Dhabi. The original ruling
came down in November 2008.
Under the UAE’s criminal defamation laws – as opposed to the civil-law systems used elsewhere – the courts have the power to suspend publications. Notably UAE Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum stated last year that courts should no longer jail journalists or editors for defamation.
Which is a relief.
However, Emarat Al Youm editor Sami Al Reyami gets a Dhs20,000 fine, and his paper will be off the stands for 20 days, unless publisher Arab Media Group – part of Dubai Holding, owned by the ruling Maktoum family – can pull off another appeal.
Gulf News quotes
Mohamad Yousuf, chairman of the Journalists’ Association, as saying: “Although we do not have the right to object a court ruling, but we reiterate our rejection of banning the newspaper or any other local newspaper from publishing.”
He also hit out at the media law in general, confirming a long-standing enmity towards the legislation in its current form.
When the original court decision was handed down last year, there was some confusion
at the paper, with AMG chief exec Abdul Latif Al Sayegh telling ArabianBusiness.com: “Neither myself, Emarat Al-Youm nor our lawyers have received anything in writing.”
Evidently it’s been confirmed.
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