A spoof YouTube video mocking Dubai teenagers, landed an American in jail for nine months in the United Arab Emirates.
On returning, 29 year old Shezanne Cassim reportedly said, he felt great to be back; at an impromptu press conference, minutes after arriving at the Minneapolis-St Paul airport following his deportation from Dubai.
Cassim stressed at the press-conference that there was a misconception that he broke the law.
After being arrested in April, Cassim was eventually sentenced in December to a fine of 10,000 dirhams ($2,725) and a year in jail charged under a controversial new cybercrimes law.
The 19-minute "Satwa Comedy School" video gently parodies Dubai teenagers from the city's Satwa district who styled themselves as tough "gangstas" wearing hip-hop clothes and listening to rap music, but who in reality were known for very mild behavior.
In the mock documentary, Cassim and his friends learn the latest techniques of "Satwa Gs combat," which include the correct way to throw a shoe at a newspaper, and how in extreme cases to use a mobile phone to call for back-up.
Cassim, a naturalized US citizen born in Sri Lanka who worked for the multinational company PricewaterhouseCoopers, has lived in the United Arab Emirates since 2006.
Cassim's case caught the attention of leading US comedians such as Will Ferrell, who made a video for the campaign to free him.
Reportedly, two Indian defendants were handed a similar punishment; a Canadian woman, a British woman and an American man who were never detained were also sentenced to one year in jail, in addition to being fined.
Cassim stressed at the press-conference that there was a misconception that he broke the law.
After being arrested in April, Cassim was eventually sentenced in December to a fine of 10,000 dirhams ($2,725) and a year in jail charged under a controversial new cybercrimes law.
The 19-minute "Satwa Comedy School" video gently parodies Dubai teenagers from the city's Satwa district who styled themselves as tough "gangstas" wearing hip-hop clothes and listening to rap music, but who in reality were known for very mild behavior.
In the mock documentary, Cassim and his friends learn the latest techniques of "Satwa Gs combat," which include the correct way to throw a shoe at a newspaper, and how in extreme cases to use a mobile phone to call for back-up.
Cassim, a naturalized US citizen born in Sri Lanka who worked for the multinational company PricewaterhouseCoopers, has lived in the United Arab Emirates since 2006.
Cassim's case caught the attention of leading US comedians such as Will Ferrell, who made a video for the campaign to free him.
Reportedly, two Indian defendants were handed a similar punishment; a Canadian woman, a British woman and an American man who were never detained were also sentenced to one year in jail, in addition to being fined.
