Jailed in the UAE: American citizen Shezanne Cassim Credit:AP The video, posted to YouTube, was a gentle satire on young men in the Satwa residential suburb of Dubai who adopt “gangsta” behaviour despite living the sedate, prosperous lifestyle more usually associated with Dubai residents. The five were arrested in March but the case was delayed several times, most recently while a translation of the video from English to Arabic was prepared for the judge. The two Indian and two Emirati men have not waived their right to anonymity granted by the UAE courts system.

A campaign to free Mr Cassim won international support, including from his family's state governor, Mark Dayton of Minnesota, and other local US politicians. The actor Will Ferrell, star of the Anchorman movies, also joined in,hosting a video containing pleas by well-known American comedians for Mr Cassim's release. The US state department had also said it was “troubled” by the men’s “prolonged” eight months’ detention. “This is so painful and unfair we can hardly believe it,” Mr Cassim’s brother, Shervon, said from Minnesota, where the family live. “It’s obvious the intent and content of the video are not meant to cause harm. Yet, Shez is still in jail.” In the video “gang members” are seen being trained at the “Satwa Combat School” in the arts of using their sandals as weapons and waving their agals in the air - agals are the cords used with traditional Arab head-scarves. A month after the video was uploaded, the UAE introduced a sweeping new cyber-crime law aimed at those using the internet to pass pornography, for gambling, or for other crimes. It also covered subversion, an element human rights workers said was designed to counter any pro-democracy feeling stirred up by the Arab Spring.

The fact that the law appeared to have been applied retrospectively was among the complaints made by human rights groups. Rori Donaghy, director of the London-based Emirates Centre for Human Rights, said: “These young film-makers are suffering the consequences of authorities who are increasingly sensitive to any form of criticism, no matter how mild. This case has laid bare problems with due legal process and restrictive internet laws in the UAE.” Mr Cassim, who worked as a consultant for PriceWaterhouseCoopers, grew up in Dubai where his parents worked in the aviation industry. He returned in 2006 after graduating from university. In June, the men were transferred from Dubai to the state security prison in Abu Dhabi. The judicial system in the UAE has come under repeated attack for failing to keep pace with the social changes that the country’s leaders have fervently promoted, particularly in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

For example, the booming tourism industry is encouraged to promote its luxury hotels and an international lifestyle. Yet it remains technically illegal for tourists to drink alcohol or have sex outside marriage, even in the numerous five-star hotels, and on numerous occasions visitors have been surprised to end up in jail after falling foul of the local police. The Cassim family pointed to Dubai’s support for the film industry, including allowing the filming of movies such as Mission Impossible 4, which shows the city being used as a hub for international crime. This month also saw the Dubai International Film Festival. “The Dubai International Film Festival just ended nine days ago,” Shervon Cassim said. “Meanwhile, my brother is in jail for making a short film. It would be funny if we weren’t talking about a man’s life - and our family facing Christmas with Shez in jail.” The Telegraph, London