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A group of at least 40 models, who were arrested after posing naked on a balcony in Dubai, could spend the next six months in jail.
The women were reportedly arrested for appearing in “an indecent video†and have been locked up since after footage and photos emerged on social media showing a large group of people posing completely naked on Saturday evening.
Of those detained, 11 are Ukrainian, the BBC reports. A Russian man was also detained and named as the organiser of the “lewd†shoot, according to Russian media.
RELATED: Women arrested for naked photo shoot
It has also been reported there were “some 40†models caught up in the scandal, believed to be aged from 18 to early-20s, according to Mail Online.
There has been wide speculation that the women were capturing content for an adult website.
New photos have emerged showing some of the women in the opulent city before their arrest as well as inside the apartment as the photo shoot took place.
Those detained face up to six months in prison and a fine of around $1800 for violating public decency laws in the United Arab Emirates, which includes nudity and other lewd behaviour.
The sharing of pornographic material is also punishable with prison time and hefty fines under the country’s laws, The Sun reports.
At the time of the women’s arrests, it was reported the risqué shoot was a publicity stunt by state-linked newspaper The National.
It came as a shock in the United Arab Emirates where tamer behaviour, like kissing in public or drinking alcohol without a licence, has landed people in jail.
Dubai police said those arrested over the indecent video have been referred to public prosecutors.
“Such unacceptable behaviours do not reflect the values and ethics of Emirati society,†police said in a statement.
While liberal in many regards compared to its Middle Eastern neighbours, the UAE has strict laws governing expression and social media.
People have been jailed for their comments and videos online.
The country’s majority state-owned telecom companies block access to major pornographic websites.
Dubai also has strict social media laws that make it an offence to insult others or even use language where people feel insulted.
The laws also forbid anything “defamatory†against the UAE and this can even include the reporting of a news article.
Foreigners fallen foul of the Dubai law
A woman from the UK, Laleh Shahravesh, 55, is facing jail for calling her Dubai-based ex-husband an “idiot†and his new wife “a horse†under the Gulf state’s social media laws.
Those who’ve fallen foul of the laws in the past include a Brit Yaseen Killick, jailed in 2018 after venting anger on WhatsApp after being sold a car that broke down.
US fitness professional Jordan Branford was slapped with a nearly $109,000 fine after using the word “b**ch†on Instagram, which his ex-wife believed was referring to her.
Glitzy Dubai has been in the headlines after reality TV stars and social media influencers escaped the UK lockdown to sun themselves on its beaches.
Earlier this year they were still promoting parties there even after a coronavirus spike forced all pubs and bars to shut.
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