U.S. citizen held in Abu Dhabi for YouTube video

A 29-year-old U.S. citizen has been held in a maximum-security prison in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, since this summer for uploading a mock documentary to YouTube, reports the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Shezanne Cassim was detained in June after he produced and uploaded the documentary titled, “Ultimate Combat System: The Deadly Satwa G’s,” a spoof of the youth culture in Dubai.

Despite the parodist nature of the 19-minute video, United Arab Emirates officials claimed it posed a threat to national security as well as in violation of its laws governing internet usage. A judge has denied Cassim bail three times and has yet to set a trial date despite interventions from Minnesota Senators Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken.

Cassim, a graduate of the University of Minnesota, has lived and worked in Dubai since graduating in 2006. His family decided to make his case public this week.