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JOURNALIST JAILED OVER PREGAME COMMENTS

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES Prosecutors in the United Arab Emirates on Friday announced they had imprisoned a television journalist over apparently leaked prematch comments made before the Emirates’ tie with Iraq during a World Cup qualifier earlier this month.

Authorities did not identify the journalist they imprisoned from the state-run Abu Dhabi Sports Channel, nor the others fired from the broadcaster over the incident. However, they described the comments made as “harming the public interest and provoking hate speech.”

The comments came before the channel went on air between the match commentators and analysts back at a studio, according to a statement carried by the state-run WAM news agency.

The feed was “hacked and the published clips were seized and broadcast on accounts on some social media sites,” the WAM report said. It said an investigation continued into how the hack took place.

The detained journalist faces charges that carry up to five years in prison and a fine from US$1,360 up to US$136,000, according to the state-linked newspaper The National in Abu Dhabi.

The Abu Dhabi Sports Channel fired three people involved with the broadcast over the incident, WAM said. The two others were arrested and later released on bail, authorities said.

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2021-10-23T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-10-23T07:00:00.0000000Z

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