Emirati social-media activist gets 10 years behind bars

By Mohamed Fahd

DOHA, Qatar (AA) - An Emirati court has sentenced Ahmed Mansour al-Shehhi, an online activist, to 10 years in prison for belittling Abu Dhabi’s “status and prestige” on social-media platforms.

According to prominent Emirati daily Al-Ittihad, al-Shehhi was convicted of “belittling the status and prestige of the United Arab Emirates and its leaders”.

He was also convicted of “seeking to damage the UAE’s relationship with its neighbors through the publication on social media of false reports and information”.

The court also fined the activist 1 million Emirati dirhams (roughly $272,000).

Al-Shehhi was acquitted, however, of charges of “involvement with a terrorist group”, according to the newspaper.

The UAE authorities, meanwhile, have yet to issue an official statement regarding the sentences handed down against the activist.

Al-Shehhi was arrested in March of last year on a handful of criminal charges, including “using social media to disseminate false information, rumors and fake news”.

Amnesty International has described the activist as a “prisoner of conscience” and has repeatedly called for his release.