According to a ruling by the court, a popular UAE online magazine has been shut down for a month and the publishers have been ordered to pay Dh10,000 in damages over charges of defamation.

The Abu Dhabi court of Appeals, additionally, also maintained the lower court's ruling under which Hetta, the first UAE e-magazine, has to pay an additional fine of Dh20,000. Hetta was established in the year 1996.

In a lawsuit which was slapped by the Abu Dhabi Media Company, the e-mag's editor Ahmad Mohammad Bin Gareeb had been charged and fined Dh20,000. The suit had been a result of various online comments that were posted with regards to an article that was published in the magazine.

The comments were viewed as "slander and defamation" by the complainant and the Public Prosecution.

The case in question was based on an article that was published by the magazine in its May 04, 2009, issue No. 5. The title of the article was "Abu Dhabi TV: Emirate TV only in name", and was written by Inas Borini.