UAE: Police issue warning as videos, photos of murder go viral

The Sharjah Police have launched a manhunt after photos and videos of a murder were posted on social media. The videos — believed to be from surveillance cameras — have gone viral.

The Arab woman was murdered last Friday (June 24) in a parking lot in Sharjah. The suspect was arrested within two hours.

The police warned residents against publishing or forwarding the videos, saying they would take legal action against “such irresponsible behaviour”. Posting crime scene videos or images affects the psychological and mental well-being of the deceased’s family and goes against the “values of our community”, said the police.

The police had identified the suspect from CCTV camera footages at the parking lot, which showed him attacking the woman inside her vehicle, stabbing her several times.

A police official pointed out that posting videos or pictures of crime scenes or accidents is prohibited and punishable by federal law. Article 44 of the new UAE cybercrime law explicitly criminalises photographing victims of accidents or disasters, whether dead or injured, and publishing or spreading their photos taken in any place.

Such videos also spread panic among residents, the police stressed.

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