- The Washington Times - Tuesday, January 7, 2014

An American imprisoned in Dubai for posting a parody video about youth culture in emirate will be released this week, a family spokeswoman confirmed.

Shezanne Cassim plans to fly back to the United States on Thursday, CNN reported.

The Washington Times reported in November that Mr. Cassim of Woodbury, Minn., was arrested in April and charged under a 2012 cybercrimes law for uploading a video to the Web that poked fun at how young people in the region are fascinated by social media and hip-hop culture.

An English-language newspaper in the United Arab Emirates reported that Mr. Cassim was accused of defaming the UAE’s image abroad.

In December, he was sentenced to a year in prison and a fine of about $2,700, CNN reported.

• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.

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