Bangladeshi waiter in Dubai jailed for viral 'gunshot' TikTok video

Bangladeshi waiter in Dubai jailed for viral 'gunshot' TikTok video
A waiter in Dubai has been jailed after he edited gunshots into a video he uploaded to TikTok.
2 min read
28 April, 2021
The waiter is set to be deported [Getty]
A Bangladeshi waiter in Dubai has been sentenced to six months in prison after he added fake gunshots to a video that he then uploaded to TikTok.

The 34-year-old man, whose identity is not known, will be deported to Bangladesh after he finishes his sentence.

A video that he filmed in a car park in Dubai featured gun shot sounds and people screaming, which he then uploaded to the popular video-sharing app in January.

His motivation for creating the video is unclear, and his TikTok account has been blocked.

Law enforcement in Dubai tracked the man and arrested him, and he later admitted to recording and posting the video.

Read more: 'Political systems are broken': A year of Covid-19 and repression in the Middle East

The man was charged with publishing material online that disrupts the UAE’s public order.

The use of TikTok in the Middle East has had mixed results.

Authorities in Egypt are clamping down on women who use the social media app to critique the patriarchal society, prompting critics to talk about the worrying state of women’s rights.

Late last year, five social media influencers who posted footage on TikTok were sentenced to two years in prison on violating public morals.

In similar cases in Tunisia and Morocco, female bloggers were arrested over jokes they made on social media.

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