Abdullah Al-Hadidi

Abdullah Al-Hadidi is a blogger and human rights activist from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Al-Hadidi was charged under a new cybercrime law that came into effect in November 2012. Arrested on 22 March, Al-Hadidi was convicted in a lower court in April of having disseminated information on Twitter “in bad faith.” The information concerned the trial of 94 UAE citizens (“UAE94” case) accused of endangering national security.

Al-Hadidi was charged under a new cybercrime law adopted in late 2012 (Federal Legal Decree 5/2012). The law has aroused strong opposition on the grounds that it can be used to justify severe limits on freedom of expression and information in the UAE.

Abdullah Al-Hadidi has been RELEASED.