Prominent Saudi journalist Alaa Brinji has been handed a five year sentence, an eight-year
travel ban and a 50,000 riyals (£9,410) fine over a series of tweets about human rights.
His tweets were in support of prisoners of conscience, human rights defenders and support
for women’s right to drive cars.
Brinji was arrested in May 2014, held in solitary confinement and was denied access to a
lawyer.
According to the country’s strict Specialized Criminal Court (SCC), Brinji was charged with
‘insulting the rulers of the country’, ‘inciting public opinion’ and ‘accusing security officers of
killing protesters in Awamiyya’.
He was also charged with ‘ridiculing Islamic religious figures’ and ‘violating Article 6 of the
Anti-Cyber Crime Law’.
James Lynch, deputy director of Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa
Programme called the sentencing ‘utterly shameful’.
SOURCE: METRO CO UK
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