DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Attorney-General, Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, has ordered the immediate arrest and expedited trial of another batch of 25 individuals of various nationalities, including at least two Pakistani nationals detained over the last 48 hours, for publishing misleading media content that allegedly harms national defence and glorifies military aggression against the state.
According to a statement released by the UAE’s state news agency, WAM, the Public Prosecution’s investigation revealed that the defendants produced and circulated content—including video and audio clips—that contained “false and misleading information and rumours.”
The authorities stated that these actions were intended to undermine the effectiveness of national defence measures and disturb public order. The suspects have been referred to the relevant court for an urgent trial on charges of threatening the security and interests of the state.
A research by MM News reveals that in a legal context, the “actual charges”, against those rounded up by UAE authorities, moving beyond general rhetoric are based on specific provisions of the UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 34 of 2021 on Combatting Rumours and Cybercrimes. And, since these arrests are happening during an active military situation (intercepting missile/drone attacks), the legal framework shifts from simple “misinformation” to “threatening national security.”
The 25 defendants are being charged under three distinct categories of criminal acts:
1. Exposing Military Defences (The “Real Clips” Group)
The charge here isn’t that the video is fake, but that it is too real.
The Act is filming and posting authentic footage of UAE air defence systems (like Patriot or THAAD missiles) intercepting incoming threats.
The Specific Charge: Article 28 (Crimes against State Security). By showing where interceptors are launched from or where debris falls, the defendants are accused of providing “free intelligence” to hostile actors.
The state argues this “reveals defensive capabilities,” allowing an enemy to map out the location of missile batteries or identify “blind spots” in the radar shield.
2. Fabricating Panic (The “AI and Fake” Group)
Using AI to create videos of “explosions” at famous landmarks (like the Burj Khalifa) or re-labeling old footage from other wars as “happening now in Dubai.”
The Specific Charge: Article 52 (Spreading False News and Rumors).
This is charged as “disturbing public order.” In a time of conflict, the state views the deliberate creation of fear—such as making people believe a city is under heavy bombardment when it isn’t—as a form of psychological sabotage that triggers mass panic and economic instability.
3. Foreign Propaganda (The “Glorification” Group)
The Act is about sharing content that praises the military leadership of the state attacking the UAE or recirculating that state’s official “victory” propaganda.
The Specific Charge: Article 24 (Damaging National Unity) and laws regarding “Promoting Terrorist or Hostile Entities.”
Promoting the “achievements” of a hostile military while the UAE is actively engaged in defense is seen as legal treason or “sedition,” aimed at weakening the internal morale of the UAE population.
If convicted in these expedited trials, the defendants face:
Imprisonment: Minimum of one year, but can extend to life imprisonment if the court deems the act aided a “hostile state” during wartime.
Fines: Starting at AED 100,000 (approx. $27,000) and reaching up to AED 1,000,000.
Deportation: For non-nationals (including the Pakistanis), deportation is a mandatory administrative follow-up after serving the prison sentence.
The crackdown follows a related incident on Saturday, where UAE authorities arrested 10 individuals, including a Pakistani national, for creating and disseminating ‘fake’ videos generated through Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Those arrests were part of a broader push by the Emirati Ministry of Interior to combat the spread of digitally manipulated content that “misleads public opinion” and “targets the social fabric” of the country through disinformation.
