Famous singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan has been arrested in Dubai over a complaint of defamation, Dubai police sources said on Monday.
The singer had arrived in Dubai early on Monday morning from Lahore for a musical collaboration, but he was taken into police custody at the immigration center and taken to the Burj Dubai police station for questioning and formal charges over the complaint.
It is not yet known what the exact charges are. People in Rahat’s management company confirmed the arrest and said they were waiting to hear more on the matter. “The arrest of Rahat is specifically in relation to the criminal defamation complaint by someone, but the details are not known yet,” a source in Rahat’s management said.
“Rahat is being kept in the Burj Dubai police station,” the source shared.
Rahat is being accompanied by his brother-in-law, Bakka Burki, on the trip, and he’s dealing with the matter, the sources said.
A few hours later, the singer took to Instagram and claimed that he only underwent standard checks and routine questioning at the airport. He also said that he is now back to his work commitments.
Defamation via social media is a serious offense in Dubai. In 2019, a court in Dubai sentenced an individual to a fine of AED 250,000 and six months in prison after being convicted of defamation and abuse through social media. The convict had posted offensive comments and altered images of another person.
In another case, a court in Abu Dhabi fined an employee AED 50,000 for defaming a colleague. The accused had spread false allegations about the colleague, impacting his professional and personal reputation.
In 2020, a court in Sharjah convicted an individual of defamation for sending text messages containing false and insulting information about another person. The individual was fined AED 10,000.
These examples demonstrate that penalties in defamation cases in the UAE range from financial fines to imprisonment, varying based on the nature of the act and its impact on the victim.
It is noteworthy that UAE law imposes strict penalties on cybercrimes, including online defamation and defamation through social media. This includes significant financial fines and imprisonment.