DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – Dubai police arrested a group of people on charges of public debauchery, officials said, through a widely shared video showing naked women posing on a city balcony.
Violations of the law of public decency in the United Arab Emirates, including nudity and other “obscene behaviors”, carry penalties of up to six months in prison and a fine of 5,000 dirhams (US $ 1,360). Sharing pornographic material is also punishable by imprisonment and heavy fines under the country’s laws, which are based on Islamic law, or Sharia law.
On Saturday night, videos and photographs depicting more than a dozen naked women, lined up on a balcony as they were filmed in broad daylight in Dubai’s upmarket Marina district, spread across social media. It was a shock to the federation of seven Arab sheikhs, where more moderate behavior, such as kissing in public or drinking alcohol without a license, led people to prison. The state newspaper The National reported that it appeared to be an “advertising ploy” without going into detail.
Dubai police said the prisoners for the “indecent” video were referred to the prosecutor’s office.
“These unacceptable behaviors,” said the police statement, “do not reflect the values and ethics of Emirati society.”
The United Arab Emirates, although liberal in many ways compared to its Middle Eastern neighbors, have strict laws that govern expression. People were arrested for their comments and videos online. Most state-owned telecommunications companies in the country block access to the main pornographic sites.