Jordan cartoonist detained for ‘offensive’ drawing of UAE ruler

Palestinian-Jordanian cartoonist, Emad Hajjaj, was arrested in Jordan yesterday after publishing a caricature insulting Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed.

The CEO of the Centre for Defending Freedom of Journalists (CDFJ), Nidal Mansour, said that Hajjaj was arrested in connection with a case published under the Cybercrime Law.

Caricature insulting Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed in light of UAE’s normalisation ties with Israel [Emad Hajjaj]

The cartoon which was published on his Al-Araby Al-Jadeed news site depicts Bin Zayed being spat on by a dove of peace displaying the flag of Israel.

Hajjaj’s cartoon comes after a peace deal was announced between the UAE and Israel brokered by Washington, earlier this month.

The UAE is the fourth Arab nation to reach such a deal with Israel, after Jordan, Egypt and Mauritania, although the latter halted relations with the occupation state as a result of its 2014 attack on Gaza.

Hajjaj’s cartoon includes a caption that reads: “Israel asks America not to sell the UAE F-35 aircraft.”

READ: The UAE-Israel agreement serves the US and Israel alone

The F-35 fighter jet has been a major target for Abu Dhabi. Getting its hands on such an advanced combat aircraft is believed to be one of the reasons why the UAE signed the peace deal.

Following his arrest, a number of journalists held a protest in solidarity with Hajjaj outside the Palace of Justice demanding his immediate release and calling for the charges against him to be dropped.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) also demanded the release of Hajjaj, while calling on authorities not to use the Cybercrime Act to mute critical voices.