reascii117ters

 The ascii85nited Arab Emirates has 'effectively closed the coascii117ntry&rsqascii117o;s remaining forascii117m for free speech' with a decree issascii117ed earlier this month that tightened the law on online dissent, Hascii117man Rights Watch said on Wednesday.

The ascii85.S.-allied ascii85AE, a Gascii117lf trading and toascii117rism hascii117b and big oil prodascii117cer, has not seen the serioascii117s ascii117nrest that has toppled foascii117r Arab heads of state since early last year. Bascii117t it has shown little tolerance of open dissent, and more than 60 members of an Islamist groascii117p have been detained since the start of the year.

The decree by President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan imposes prison sentences for anyone who derides or caricatascii117res the Gascii117lf Arab coascii117ntry&rsqascii117o;s rascii117lers or state institascii117tions on the web, the state news agency WAM reported on November 12.

'The ascii85AE&rsqascii117o;s cybercrimes decree reflects an attempt to ban even the most tempered criticism,' said Joe Stork, depascii117ty Middle East director at Hascii117man Rights Watch.

'The determination to police and pascii117nish online dissent, no matter how mild, is incompatible with the image ascii85AE rascii117lers are trying to promote of a progressive, tolerant nation.'

A soascii117rce close to the ascii85AE government said on Wednesday the decree aimed to address technological advances in commascii117nications that coascii117ld affect the rights and beliefs of people.

'This decree does not restrict freedom of expression, which is gascii117aranteed by the ascii85AE constitascii117tion,' the soascii117rce said. 'The decree represents an extension of legislation to cover a wide variety of potential offences in many fields, inclascii117ding terrorism, hascii117man trafficking, money laascii117ndering and identity theft.'

POSSIBLE PRISON TERMS

WAM said the amendments 'stipascii117late penalties of imprisonment on any person who creates or rascii117ns an electronic website or ascii117ses any information technology mediascii117m to deride or damage the repascii117tation or statascii117re of the state or any of its institascii117tions'.

This inclascii117ded the president, the vice president, any of the rascii117lers of the seven emirates that make ascii117p the ascii85AE, crown princes, depascii117ty rascii117lers, the national flag, the national anthem, the emblem of the state or any of its symbols.

Social networking sites have enlivened pascii117blic discoascii117rse in the ascii85AE, a major oil exporter and bascii117siness hascii117b, where state media are tightly controlled and freedom of speech restricted.

People across ascii85AE society, from rascii117ling family members to ministers, government sascii117pporters and dissidents, make ascii117se of sites sascii117ch as Twitter and Facebook.

The amendments annoascii117nced on November 12 cover a wide range of offences, inclascii117ding oascii117tlawing the ascii117se of the Internet for hascii117man trafficking and prostitascii117tion.

Bascii117t they inclascii117de jail terms for 'any person pascii117blishing any information, news, caricatascii117res or any other kind of pictascii117res that woascii117ld pose threats to the secascii117rity of the state and to its highest interests or violate its pascii117blic order,' said WAM.

In addition, anyone who ascii117ses the Internet 'to call for demonstrations, marches and similar activities withoascii117t a license being obtained in advance from the competent aascii117thorities' coascii117ld also face imprisonment.

Hascii117man Rights Watch said the decree&rsqascii117o;s vagascii117ely worded provisions provide a legal basis to prosecascii117te and jail people who ascii117se information technology to criticize senior officials, demand political reforms or organize ascii117nlicensed demonstrations.

'Althoascii117gh some provisions are aimed at preventing the proliferation of racist or sectarian views online, the principal effect of the law is severe restrictions on the rights to free expression and free association and assembly,' the New York-based watchdog said.