A group of more than a dozen women caught sight of Dubai residents as they posed naked on a balcony in a stunt that went viral – and landed them in hot water with local authorities.
The women have been arrested on charges of public debauchery in the United Arab Emirates, where violations of the law of public decency – including nudity and other “naughty behavior” – serve sentences of up to six months for slamming, as well as heavy fines.
The videos and images of the women, lined up in their birthday costumes in Dubai’s luxury Marina district, made a splash on social media this weekend – shocking the federation of the seven Arab sheikhs.
Much more gentle behavior, such as kissing in public or drinking without a license, drew people to jail.
The state-run newspaper The National reported that displaying women in their pockets appeared to be an “advertising cascade” without elaborating.
Police said the women arrested for the “indecent” video were sent to public prosecution.
“Such unacceptable behavior does not reflect the values and ethics of the emirate,” police said in a statement.
Although free compared to its neighbors in the Middle East, the United Arab Emirates has strict rules governing the expression based on Islamic law or Shariah.