Abu Dhabi: A case involving an American woman charged with insulting the country and its leaders was adjourned to May 16 to allow the defence lawyer to present his argument, a top UAE court ruled on Monday.
The Federal Supreme Court, presided over by judge Falaj Al Hajeri, also ordered D.A.K.,25, to be examined to evaluate her mental state at the time of the offence following a request from her lawyer.
A verdict was initially scheduled for Monday.
In an earlier hearing, the defendant had told the court that she was waiting for a taxi when two men approached her and she did not like the way they spoke to her.
The woman had told the judge that she did not know why she was on trial and that nothing happened.
“The men attempted to offer help, but I had a flight to catch at 1.29am. So I refused to engage with them and nothing more happened,” the woman told the court.
The woman said that she has been in jail since February 23 and asked the judge if she could be bailed out.
On Monday, the court also heard a case involving 19 men, mostly Yemenis, charged with setting up and running a clandestine organisation affiliated to the terrorist Yemeni Muslim Brotherhood to overthrow the government and seize power in the UAE.
Prosecutors told the court that though the defendants knew the organisation had been banned in the UAE, they set up an organisational structure of the terrorist group, including planning, finance, cultural, charity and media committees.
A prosecutor added the group elected a Shura (consultative) council of the organisation’s branch in the UAE, made up of 13 to 15 members, a speaker and deputy speaker. “They met once annually and supervised the Yemeni Muslim Brotherhood in the UAE. They also cooperated with the terrorist Al Islah group, raised nearly Dh2 million and planned to overthrow the government and seize power in the country,” the prosecutor told the court.
The accused are being tried under the UAE’s anti-terrorism law, which incriminates anyone committing acts of terror, whether directly or indirectly.
The prosecutors demanded that the defendants receive the severest punishment.
Convicted terrorists face capital punishment, life imprisonment and fines of up to Dh100 million, according to a federal law to combat terrorism endorsed in 2014.
The case was adjourned to May 9 for the defence to present its case.
In the third case involving two Emiratis, charged with insulting Egypt in an online verbal assault, communicating with the terrorist Al Islah group and spreading rumours about the UAE, the hearing was adjourned to May 23 for the lawyers to present their case.
In a fourth case involving three Syrians, charged with funding two terrorist groups in Syria — Al Nusra Front and Ahrar Al Sham (the Free Men of the Levant movement), had their hearing adjourned to May 30 to allow the lawyers to present their case.
