A Dubai court has convicted a person of defamation and online insult via WhatsApp, prohibiting the accused from using the internet and ordering the seizure of his mobile phone. The complaint, No. 23499/2024, was filed by a corporate professional who received a series of defamatory communications over WhatsApp. The texts, which were described as personally offensive and detrimental to reputation, were exchanged in October 2023 when both parties were present at a company office in Al Safouh 2, Dubai.
Following the complaint, officials initiated an investigation, reviewing translated copies of the texts, gathering witness testimony, and analyzing preliminary statements. Although the defendant confirmed sending the texts, he claimed they were in reprisal for previous claims made during the conversation. However, the court rejected this reasoning, arguing that it did not justify disregarding the legal definitions of insult and defamation.
On April 24, 2025, the Dubai court issued a one-month ban on the defendant’s access to information networks and digital platforms, ordered the deletion of offending texts from all devices and records, seized the mobile phone used to conduct the offense, and levied a Dh5,000 punishment. The decision was formally implemented on May 1, 2025. During the hearings, a travel ban was in effect.
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