UAE man jailed for video inciting child marriage in Morocco

On Wednesday, the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal sentenced Emirati citizen Saif Salem Saif Ali Al-Maqbali to three years in prison and fined him AED 5 million over a video that sparked widespread controversy after it included remarks encouraging marriage to underage girls in Morocco.

The court also ordered the removal of the offensive video, the closure of the defendant’s online accounts, and the confiscation of the phone used in the incident, according to the Emirates News Agency.

The UAE attorney general had referred Al-Maqbali to an expedited trial after investigations found he had published content on social media deemed offensive and inciteful.

According to investigators, the defendant used language likely to provoke discord, hatred, and social discrimination, while also harming the fraternal ties between the Moroccan and Emirati peoples, acts authorities considered a serious violation of the country’s laws and social values.

In recent days, the case has triggered strong reactions in Morocco, where associations including «Touche pas à mon enfant» («Don’t Touch My Child») and the «Coalition Dounia pour mettre fin au mariage des mineures» («Dounia Coalition to End Child Marriage») called for an investigation into the circulated video. In the footage, the defendant appeared to refer to a «14-year-old girl», sparking outrage and accusations that he had insulted Morocco and Moroccan women.

As the controversy intensified, Al-Maqbali released a second video in which he claimed his remarks had been misunderstood because of «cultural differences».