Rights group Amnesty International has condemned a Saudi court decision to jail an activist for seven years, labelling the charges as “spurious” and urging that the sentence be quashed.
A court in Riyadh passed the sentence on Fowzan Al Harbi on Tuesday and also banned him from travelling for a further seven years, Amnesty said in a statement.
Harbi was convicted on several charges, including “breaking allegiance” with the ruler, criticising the authorities in the country and participating in founding an “unlicensed organisation”.
Harbi, 36, is a founder of the local Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA), and was jailed in December 2013, when a judge ordered his arrest without providing a reason, according to Amnesty.
He was released on Monday, a day before his conviction, and is currently free pending the outcome of an appeal.
Harbi faced charges including “inciting disobedience to the ruler by calling for demonstrations”, and “signing documents that incite public opinion against the authorities”, Amnesty said.
Other members of ACPRA have been sentenced in the past, including co-founders Abdullah Al Hamid and Mohammad Al Qahtani, jailed for 10 and 11 years respectively in March 2013.
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