American Released From Abu Dhabi Prison After Video Scandal

"I was tried in a textbook kangaroo court," he tells reporters

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Jim Mone / AP

Shezanne Cassim, accompanied by his family, meets the media after he arrived at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2014 in Minneapolis after being held in a maximum security prison since June.

A 29-year-old American returned to the U.S. on Thursday after spending nine months behind bars in the United Arab Emirates for posting online a satirical video about Dubai youth.

“I was tried in a textbook kangaroo court, and I was convicted without any evidence. So to me, this verdict is meaningless,” said Shezanne Cassim at St. Paul International Airport, MN, on Thursday, according to AP.

In 2012, Cassim and seven others were convicted on charges under a U.A.E. cyber crimes law for the satirical video.  According to the U.S. State Department, Cassim was released early for good behavior after serving nine months in a maximum-security penitentiary in Abu Dhabi.

[AP]