英男女迪拜餐館親吻被判監禁一個月
A Dubai appeals court on Sunday upheld a one-month prison sentence for a British couple convicted of kissing in a restaurant.
The pair landed in court after an Emirati woman complained about the public kiss, which the couple insisted was just a peck on the cheek. They were arrested in November and convicted of inappropriate behavior and illegal drinking.
Cosmopolitan Dubai has the most relaxed social codes in the conservative Gulf, but authorities enforce strict decency laws and regularly crack down on people accused of pushing the limits, which can include everything from wearing a mini skirt to losing one's temper in traffic.
As recently as Sunday, though, a young Italian-Iranian couple could be seen kissing among the visitors to the 127th floor observation deck of the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest skyscraper.
Last month an Indian couple was sentenced to three months in jail for exchanging steamy text messages. In 2008, two Britons accused of having sex on the beach got three months in jail, though their sentences were later suspended.
Ayman Najafi and Charlotte Adams — both in their 20s — were arrested after an Emirati woman claimed they exchanged a passionate kiss in a restaurant where she and her daughter were having dinner.
Najafi and Adams attended Sunday's hearing, but did not speak. Their lawyer, Khalaf al-Hosany, told the court in a previous hearing that they kissed on the cheek as a greeting and "never intended to break the law."
Appeals court judge Iysar Fouad upheld the conviction, the jail time and a fine of 1,000 dirhams — about $270 — each. They will be deported after serving their sentences.
The couple has 30 days to appeal Sunday's ruling in a higher court.
Their lawyer said Najafi and Adams were not in a relationship, but knew each other before they met in Dubai.
Najafi worked for a marketing firm in Dubai and Adams was visiting the Muslim city-state with a Western outlook that has become famous for its beaches, ever-taller skyscrapers and anything-goes attitude.
一對英國男女因在迪拜一家餐廳接吻而被判處一個月的監禁。兩人因不服判決隨後提出上訴，但迪拜一家上訴法院於上週日宣佈維持原判。
當時，這對英國男女因當衆接吻而受到一名阿聯酋婦女的投訴並鬧上法院，但他們堅稱當時兩人只是親吻面頰而已。這對男女於去年11月因行爲不當及非法飲酒的罪名被捕。
國際大都會迪拜的社會規範在保守的海灣地區算是最寬鬆的，但當地有關部門實行的禮儀法規卻十分嚴格，經常對那些被控“出格”的人進行制裁，其中包括穿超短裙、在交通行駛中發脾氣等各種行爲。
但就在上週日，一對年輕的意大利－伊朗籍情侶在世界最高建築迪拜哈利法塔第127層的觀景臺上當衆接吻，很多遊客都目睹了這一幕。
上月，一對印度情侶因互發曖昧短信被判處三個月監禁。2008年，兩名英國人因被指在海灘公開發生性關係被判三個月監禁，但之後獲緩刑。
這對名叫艾曼•納傑菲和夏洛特•亞當斯的20多歲的英國男女被一名迪拜婦女指控在餐廳內熱吻而被捕，當時這名婦女正和女兒在餐廳用餐。
納傑菲和亞當斯於上週日出庭聽審，但沒有發言。他們的律師哈拉夫•侯薩尼在之前的一次聽審中告訴法院，兩人只是親吻了面頰，這是一種問候的禮節，“絕非有意違反法律”。
上訴法院法官伊薩爾·福阿德宣佈維持原判，判處兩人一個月的監禁，以及每人1000迪拉姆（約270美元）的罰款。刑滿後兩人將被驅逐出境。
這對男女可在30天內向更高一級法院提起上訴。
他們的律師稱，納傑菲和亞當斯並非情侶關係，但在迪拜相遇前就已結識。
納傑菲就職於迪拜一家市場營銷公司，亞當斯當時正在這個穆斯林城邦遊覽。迪拜頗具西式風格，以海灘、世界最高建築以及隨和的民風而著稱。
Vocabulary:
Emirati：Emirati people (Arabic: إماراتي) are citizens and ethnic group of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).（阿聯酋居民）
steamy：Informal. passionate or erotic（色情而狂放的）
