KSA: Journalist Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Tweets!

Local Editor

The sentencing of journalist Alaa Brinji to five years in prison, an eight-year travel ban and a fine of US$ 13,300 for a series of tweets, is a clear violation of international law and the latest demonstration of the Saudi Arabian authorities' deep-seated intolerance of the right to peaceful expression, Amnesty International said Friday.

He was found guilty on 24 March of a string of charges that included amongst other things, "insulting the rulers", "inciting public opinion", and "accusing security officers of killing protestors in Awamiyya" - an area of Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province.

"The sentencing of Alaa Brinji to a five-year prison term is utterly shameful. He is the latest victim of Saudi Arabia's ruthless crackdown on peaceful dissent, where the aim appears to be to completely wipe out any and all voices of criticism," said James Lynch, Amnesty's MENA Program Deputy Director.

"Putting someone behind bars for peacefully exercising his legitimate right to freedom of expression, and defending the rights of others to do so, is a complete distortion of the very notion of justice. The authorities must ensure his conviction is quashed and release him immediately and unconditionally."

Brinji was arrested on 12 May 2014 and has been in detention ever since. He was initially held incommunicado in solitary confinement and has not been allowed access to a lawyer.

He was convicted by Saudi Arabia's notorious counter-terrorism court, known as the Specialized Criminal Court, on a range of claimed charges, including, "insulting the rulers of the country", "inciting public opinion", "accusing security officers of killing protestors in Awamiyya", "ridiculing Islamic religious figures" and "violating Article 6 of the Anti-Cyber Crime Law".

The court also ordered the closure of his twitter account. All of these charges stem from tweets he posted online some of which were bin support of Saudi Arabian women's right to drive cars, human rights defenders and prisoners of conscience.

"Saudi Arabia must be held accountable for its gross and systematic violations of human rights," said James Lynch.

"Its international allies, who seek to collaborate on security and intelligence, have to confront the fact that using the pretext of "counter-terrorism," the government's draconian crackdown has eradicated virtually all forms of peaceful dissent in the country."

Source: Amnesty International, Edited by website team