Offbeat

Sending red-heart emoji can land you in jail in these countries

Sending the emoji to a woman is considered a crime of incitement to debauchery in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The sender can go to prison and face hefty fines.

Heart emoji (Photo: Twitter)

Sending a ‘red heart’ emoji to a girl on WhatsApp or any other social networking sites is considered a crime of incitement to debauchery in Kuwait and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

According to Kuwaiti lawyer Haya Al-Shalhi on Sunday July 30, those convicted of this crime can face up to two years in jail and a fine not exceeding 2,000 Kuwaiti dinars (Rs 5,35,584).

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Similarly, in Saudi Arabia, sending ‘red heart’ emojis on WhatsApp can lead to a jail term of two to five years, along with a fine of 100,000 Saudi Riyals (Rs 21,92,588).

According to a Saudi cybercrime expert, sending red hearts on WhatsApp could be interpreted as “harassment” within the country’s jurisdiction.

In case of a repeated violation, the fine could reach 300,000 Saudi Riyals (Rs 65,77,838) with five years in jail.

This post was last modified on August 1, 2023 9:36 pm

Tags: KuwaitRed Heart EmojisSaudi Arabia

2 years ago

Sakina Fatima

Sakina Fatima, a digital journalist with Siasat.com, has a master's degree in business administration and is a graduate in mass communication and journalism. Sakina covers topics from the Middle East, with a leaning towards human interest issues.