Charges have been dropped against an American man who posted a rant on Facebook about the way his employers had apparently treated him. The man, who worked in the United Arab Emirates but posted the message when he was back in the US was criticizing Global Aerospace Logistics, who he said refused a sick leave request.
Ryan Pate posted the comments in December and was arrested upon his return to the UAE. The helicopter mechanic was arrested for breaking the UAE’s tough online defamation laws and was told he faced a jail sentence. All charges were dropped on March 17th.
Pate has now apologized on Facebook and reached an agreement with the company after seeking help from US ambassadorial staff. He had branded the Abu Dhabi firm as “backstabbers”, warning other people not to work for them. He was forced to attend a police station after returning to the UAE to resign from the company, where he was arrested and told that he had broken slander laws. He was facing a year in jail and a $50,000 fine.
The online defamation laws were introduced in 2012 and have led to a number of complex, difficult legal cases.
