When Shezanne Cassim made and posted a video making fun of youth in Dubai, the authorities there not only weren’t laughing, their lack of humor and tolerance prompted them to imprison Cassim, a U.S. citizen.
He’s been behind bars there since April, charged with violating a cyber crimes law in the United Arab Emirates.
Cassim, 29, is an American citizen, graduating from the University of Minnesota in 2006. His parents still live in Minnesota. He was living and working in Dubai for PricewaterhouseCoopers.
As Funny or Die describes his alleged crime: “It’s equivalent to someone in the U.S. making a parody video of Brooklyn hipsters and getting thrown in jail for months without bail. U.S. diplomatic officials cannot represent Shez in legal proceedings or pay his legal fees or other expenses.
Shez’s court date has been continuously been pushed back and his next date has been scheduled for Monday, December 16.”
