Deported from UAE for Facebook post

In Abu Dhabi, an Australian woman was fined $2,700, spent 53 hours in custody and was deported from the United Arab Emirates on July 15 for posting a picture to Facebook of a car parked across two handicapped parking spaces near her apartment and adding criticism.

Though the woman’s post did not identify the driver of the car, a complaint of “writing bad words on social media” was filed under the UAE’s Cybercrime Law, resulting in her arrest and conviction. UAE’s Cybercrime Laws were enacted in 2012 to reduce online dissent against the government.