Jodi Magi: WA woman arrested and jailed in Abu Dhabi for 'writing bad words' on Facebook
An Australian woman has been arrested and jailed in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates after she was found guilty of "writing bad words on social media".
In February, Jodi Magi, 39, took a photo of a car in her apartment block that was parked across two disabled parking spaces, without any disability stickers.
She blacked out the number plate and put the photo on Facebook, drawing attention to the seemingly selfish act, but not providing any identifying details or names.
However, someone in the apartment block complained to police and the case went to an Abu Dhabi court in June.
Ms Magi, who has lived in Abu Dhabi since 2012, said she was forced to sign multiple documents in Arabic without any translation.
Two weeks ago she was found guilty of "writing bad words on social media about a person" and told she would be deported.
The West Australian woman told the ABC she was shocked and confused by the court's decision and she did not have any understanding of what she was supposed to have done that was illegal.
"I have zero idea. I used the internet," she said before being arrested.
Last week Ms Magi tried to voluntarily deport herself and pay the approximately $3,600 fine, but Abu Dhabi authorities would not allow her to leave without presenting herself to court.
Ms Magi had been warned this could mean she would end up in jail, despite this not being part of her sentence.
"I'm putting my life in the hands of chaos," she said. "I'm terrified."
Yesterday, as suspected, Ms Magi went to pay the fine but was arrested and jailed.
"They were about to put me in the male lock-up and then they turned me away and no-one knows what to do with me," she told the ABC from the back of the police car she was in.
"No-one is talking to me. No-one is telling me what is going on. I've been driving around for literally about four hours."
Ms Magi spent last night in jail and it is not known how long she will be held for.
She said the Australian embassy in Abu Dhabi has not provided any help or advice apart from recommending she get a lawyer.
"I'm not sure if it was me being naive. I was under the impression that embassies were in countries to help their citizens in times of difficulty," she said in an interview before her arrest.
"But from my experience it seems that their job here seems to be to generate business and they have no interest in anything other than that."
The ABC asked the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) if the Australian Government was going to make any representations to the UAE government about Ms Magi's imprisonment.
In a statement they said: "The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade continues to provide consular assistance to an Australian woman detained in Abu Dhabi and that for privacy reasons they cannot provide any more information."
