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Kuwait
Kuwait sentenced a local tweeter to two months in jail for criticizing the ruling emir on his Twitter account.
Ayyad al-Harbi was released on bail while he appeals the verdict issued Sunday, according to his lawyer and head of the Kuwait Society for Human Rights (KSHR), Mohammad al-Humaidi.
Harbi was arrested and charged right after tweeting on Sunday the message "Tomorrow morning is my trial's verdict on charges of slander against the emir, spreading of false news," according to The Guardian.
The sentencing of Harbi comes a day when another local tweeter was jailed for allegedly posting a message on Twitter that insulted the country's ruling emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah.
Rashed al-Enezi, 26, became the first Kuwaiti to be jailed for such unconstitutional offense after receiving a 2-year sentence from a court on Sunday, according to KSHR. Police took Enezi to prison after the verdict was handed down at the courtroom, said Humaidi.
Some 200 other activists and former opposition lawmakers are on trial and may also be jailed for tweeting insults on al-Sabah before the Dec. 1 elections. They apparently criticized the emir on Twitter for changing the voting system in October. Among those on trial are 25 young tweeters who are free on bail pending the outcome of their trial.
Humaidi claimed that the charges against the tweeters were fabricated.
Kuwaiti authorities are cracking down on tweeters who insult the emir, who is protected against criticism under Kuwait's constitution.
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