Saudis who post satire on social media to be penalised

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DUBAI: Saudi prosecutors on Tuesday announced that individuals who produce or distribute satirical content on social media that “mocks, provokes or disrupts public order, religious values and public morals” face up to five years imprisonment and a fine of three million riyals.

“Producing and distributing content that ridicules, mocks, provokes and disrupts public order, religious values and public morals through social media ... will be considered a cybercrime punishable by a maximum of five years in prison and a fine of SR3 million,” the kingdom’s Public Prosecution posted in its Arabic Twitter account.

Saudi Arabia’s public prosecutor also announced it was seeking the death penalty in the case against Sheikh Salman Al-Odah, who has more than 14 million followers on Twitter, a prominent cleric who arrested last year along with 20 others.

In September 2017, authorities have called on Saudi citizens to report on social media activities of their fellow citizens, under a wide-ranging definition of “terrorist” crimes.

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