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.”
“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.
The UAE officials say Shehhi has violated state security.
The Emirati Center for Human Rights reported that 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.
The UAE tightened its laws on online criticism of the state last November, when President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan issued a decree on combating “cybercrimes.”
