--- description: Jodi Magi was found guilty of “writing bad words on social media” after she complained about a driver who parked in a disabled parking bay. title: Australian Woman to be Deported From UAE Over Facebook Post image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [United Arab Emirates](/tag/united-arab-emirates/) ## United Arab Emirates Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # An Australian Woman Is to Be Deported From the UAE for 'Writing Bad Words' on Facebook by [Helen Regan](/author/helen-regan/) ## Helen Regan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 14, 2015 7:58 AM CUT by [Helen Regan](/author/helen-regan/) ## Helen Regan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 14, 2015 7:58 AM CUT An Australian woman has been[ detained](http://www.news.com.au/technology/online/australian-woman-jodi-magi-jailed-in-abu-dhabi-over-facebook-post/story-fnjwnhzf-1227440806338 "undefined") in Abu Dhabi, and is to be deported from the United Arab Emirates after she took a photo of a car parked across two disabled parking bays and posted it to Facebook. Jodi Magi, who has worked in the UAE teaching graphic design since 2012, took the photograph in February to draw attention to the driver’s apparent lack of consideration, although she obscured the number plate, reports News.Com.Au. However, following a complaint to police, the case went to court in June. Magi, 39, was charged under the UAE’s Cyber Crime law and was found guilty of “writing bad words on social media.” She was issued with a fine of about $2,700\. But when Magi went to pay the fine Monday, authorities detained her, pending, they said, her deportation. Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop told media Tuesday that she expected Magi to be deported in “a very short time,” and that consular officials were giving assistance to Magi and her husband. \[[_news.com.au_](http://www.news.com.au/technology/online/australian-woman-jodi-magi-jailed-in-abu-dhabi-over-facebook-post/story-fnjwnhzf-1227440806338 "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3956784/abu-dhabi-uae-jodi-magi-facebook-disabled-parking-photo-jailed/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3956784/abu-dhabi-uae-jodi-magi-facebook-disabled-parking-photo-jailed/"},"headline":"An Australian Woman Is to Be Deported From the UAE for 'Writing Bad Words' on Facebook","datePublished":"2015-07-14T07:58:29.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:22:04.710Z","description":"Her online complaint about a driver who parked in a disabled parking bay saw her charged under the UAE's Cyber Crime law","url":"https://time.com/3956784/abu-dhabi-uae-jodi-magi-facebook-disabled-parking-photo-jailed/","keywords":["United Arab Emirates","Newsfeed","Social Media","Australia","facebook","arrested","Photo"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Helen Regan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/helen-regan/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/united-arab-emirates/","name":"United Arab Emirates"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3956784/abu-dhabi-uae-jodi-magi-facebook-disabled-parking-photo-jailed/","name":"An Australian Woman Is to Be Deported From the UAE for 'Writing Bad Words' on Facebook"}}]}] ```