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Reporters Without Borders Raps UAE for Jailing Online Activist

Reporters Without Borders Raps UAE for Jailing Online Activist
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Local Editor

An international rights group has denounced the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for sentencing an online activist to two years in prison calling his sentence disproportionate and absurd.

Emirati activist Waleed al-Shehhi has been given the prison sentence in addition to a fine of 500,000 dirhams (137,000 dollars) for tweeting about the trial of 94 people who had been accused of attempting to overthrow the country's political system.
On Tuesday, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) slammed the ruling by the UAE, saying, "We firmly condemn this verdict, which flouts the UAE's international obligations."
Reporters Without Borders Raps UAE for Jailing Online Activist"The sentence is both disproportionate and absurd," the right group said.

It also called for "Shehhi's immediate release, the quashing of his conviction and the repeal of the cyber-crime law."
"The authorities are trying to make an example out of Shehhi in order to dissuade Emirati citizens from posting any information about the latest trial that strays from the official line." Shehhi had reportedly used his Twitter account to call for the release of prisoners he said had been detained solely for their support of democratic reforms in the country.

State security authorities arrested Shehhi following the Twitter posts and held him for 10 days in a secret prison before transferring him to a jail in Abu Dhabi, sources reported.

Source: Agencies

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