UAE locals and expatriates may be sentenced up to 15 years imprisonment if found guilty of expressing sympathy toward Qatar through social media posts.
UAE Attorney-General Hamad Saif al-Shamsi said the UAE considers sympathizing with Qatar online as a cyber-crime punishable by law.
“Strict and firm action will be taken against anyone who shows sympathy or any form of bias toward Qatar, or against anyone who objects the position of the UAE, whether it be through means of social media, or any type of written, visual or verbal form,” Gulf News quoted Al Shamsi as saying.
Offenders would also be hit with a fine of at least Dh500,000.
The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt cut diplomatic ties with Qatar due to Doha’s alleged support for terrorism sponsors Iran, Hamas in Palestine and the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.
The UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain also closed their borders with Qatar and banned the entry of Qatari vessels and planes to their seaports and airports.
Yemen, Maldives and Mauritania later joined the Gulf countries in severing relations with Qatar.
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