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Facebook Rant Lands US Man In UAE Jail

blindbat writes While back home in the U.S., a man working in the United Arab Emirates posted negative comments about the company he worked for. Upon returning to the country to resign, he was arrested and now faces up to a year in prison under their strict "cyber slander" laws designed to protect reputation.

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  1. Two things by gurps_npc · · Score: 5, Interesting
    1) Going to another country simply to resign is not the sanest action.

    2) We really need a clear International consensu that governments do NOT have extra-territorial jurisdiction. Actions taken in one country should abide by the laws of that country, not any other country - even if it affects the other country. Any country that refuses to abide by this simple rule (I'm including my own beloved United States which routinely violates this simple legal concept.), should have punitive trade restrictions placed on them.

    When I'm in New York state, I have to abide by NYS laws, not New Jerseys. Similarly, when I am in the US, I should abide by the US laws, not any other countries.

    --
    excitingthingstodo.blogspot.com
    1. Re:Two things by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Interesting

      Are you sure about that? The US has extradition treaties with Turkey and other Middle Eastern countries. Technically someone eating a BLT or handing out fliers for a church member recruiting drive in Alabama can be flown overseas to be beheaded in Saudi Arabia for apostasy laws.

      As proof of this, where one gets deported for violating no laws in one's homeland, but overseas, I'll happily present you with Kim Dotcom and others.

  2. Re:basically how the UAE works by cheesybagel · · Score: 4, Interesting

    UAE? Isn't that where they take your passport while you work there?

  3. Re:basically how the UAE works by Trepidity · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Yeah, that's common across the region; Saudi Arabia does it too. Seems a bit unnecessarily old-fashioned, since with computerized passport control these days you could keep someone from traveling by just flagging them in the computer, no need to actually confiscate the passport. But maybe keeping the physical passport is a better intimidation tool?

  4. Re:When in Rome by g0bshiTe · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Other than copyright or piracy exactly which US law could you violate while in Australia and then be arrested for upon arrival back in the US?

    --
    I am Bennett Haselton! I am Bennett Haselton!
  5. Re:When in Rome by Phreakiture · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Maybe not Australia, but how about Russia? I suspect that Dmitry Sklyarov has maybe faded from our collective memory.

    Quick summary: Sklyarov is Russian. He lived in Russia, where he worked for a Russian software company writing Russian software. In Russia.

    One piece of Russian software he worked on while working for his Russian employer in Russia is something that would have run afoul of US copyright law, but it was out of US jurisdiction because the software was written by a Russian working for a Russian company in Russia.

    Then Sklyarov made the mistake of coming to DefCon, where he, a Russian, was arrested for writing software that violated the Digital Millenium Copyright Act, which is out of jurisdiction in Russia, where he lived (as Russians tend to do) and worked for a Russian company writing Russian software, in Russia.

    In short, he committed no crime because the law that was applied to him is out of jurisdiction.

    --
    www.wavefront-av.com
  6. Re:basically how the UAE works by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    And then you try leaving the country with a passport with no visa or entry stamp. Be prepared for a few hours of questioning.

    Yes, I had that happen to me. I'm from an EU country that allows its citizens to have two passports. I traveled to Algeria for a week to help a customer install some telecommunications equipment, and had a visa. On arrival, the local manager took my passport (literally just took it out of my backpack while I was not paying attention), and told me I was needed for two weeks instead of one. I told him to fuck himself and booked a flight back home the next day. Upon exiting I had to explain why my passport didn't have an entry stamp or visa, and I simply told them that I had lost the passport but that my country allowed for two so I could freely travel. Took me half an hour to clear customs.

    The manager was fired and my passport was Fedex'd back.