Shezanne Cassim, 29-year-old United States citizen, has become the face of a group of eight people who have been harshly imprisoned in the United Arab Emirates "for damaging the country's reputation" through the internet and social media sites, the Associated Press reported.
Cassim was sentenced to one year in prison after being detained for more than eight months on Monday for posting a parody video on YouTube making fun of "young Emirati men who imitate U.S. hip-hop culture," according to a statement from his family, Reuters reported.
His sentencing also includes deportation after his one year sentence is served, as well as a $2,725 fine, family spokeswoman Jennifer Gore told Reuters.
According to a statement released by the family, they are "trying to confirm whether the one-year imprisonment includes time served or means additional jail time," Reuters reported.
The video he has been arrested for publishing contains a disclaimer at the start which states it is fictional and does not mean to offend anyone. The video goes on to describe fake "deadly gangsters" in sarcastic acts, according to Reuters. The video is still available online.
The 20 minute "mockumentary" was filmed in the Al Satwa region of Dubai, where he lived for work, and led to Cassim's arrest, according to Reuters.
Cassim was born in Sri Lanka and moved to Woodbury, Minnesota where he lived until 2006. After graduating from the University of Minnesota he moved to Dubai where he worked as an aviation business consultant, Reuters reported.
Cassim was arrested and charged with violating the nations cyber crime law which states any acts deemed "damaging to the country's reputation or national security" is punishable to jail time and heavy fines, according to Reuters.
Last week a state department spokeswoman told the Associated Press American authorities were worried by the "prolonged incarceration" and called for "a fair and expedient trial and judgment."
