An Australian woman, who was fined and detained in custody after she was found guilty of a cyber-crime offence related to a Facebook update, has been deported from the UAE.Jodi Magi (39) took a picture of a vehicle which had no disability stickers displayed but was parked across two disabled parking spaces outside her Abu Dhabi apartment. While she blanked out the car's registration plate, a complaint was lodged with Abu Dhabi Police and a court this week convicted Magi of "writing bad words on social media".She was fined AED10,000 ($2,722) for the offence on Sunday and was held in custody in Abu Dhabi jail while she awaited deportation.ABC News confirmed that Magi was taken to the airport on Tuesday evening and flown out of the UAE.
"Australians travelling overseas are subject to the laws of the country they are in, and consular officials can't prevent the detention of Australians or retrieve their passport if it is held by local authorities," the Australian embassy in Abu Dhabi said this week."The Australian government's travel advice for the UAE warns that local laws that appear harsh by Australian standards nevertheless apply to Australian travellers or residents."Originally from Perth in Western Australia, Magi moved to Abu Dhabi in 2012 where she taught graphic design and illustration to Emirati women at Zayed University.
