Saudi Arabia court jails seven Facebook cyber activists

[think]

Source: BBC

A court in Saudi Arabia has sentenced seven cyber activists to between five to 10 years in prison for inciting protests, mainly by using Facebook.

The men were arrested in September last year, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW), and their trial began in April.

They were charged with posting online messages to encourage protests, although they were not accused of directly taking part in demonstrations.

It is seen as the country's latest move against online political dissent.
Popular revolt

The New York-based rights group HRW said the case was heard in an anti-terrorism court.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23119656

[midnight]

1. I suspect this is going to be a fast trending move....

To silence people that those in power don't like....

[think]

2. Several of the defendants claimed they were tortured into signing confessions according to HRW

So it sounds like they are very effective in controlling those who would oppose Saudi Royal rule....

[John2]

3. U.S. support of

monarchies is a joke. They go around the World preaching about freedom and Democracies, while supporting monarchies. All these monarchies was propped up by the British Empire as puppets. The U.S. is continuing the same system. Another thing is the Billions of dollars these royal families control. All that money and resources need to go to the people, not as peasants or serfs, but for them to control. Monarchies should be a thing of the past period. All you have to do is go back to medieval times, when people cut off heads or put someone in dungeons. Why should any group of people recieve special privileges anyway, they didn't earn?

[cstanleytech]

4. Newsflash for you, more often than not

the rich and or well connected have almost always been the ones in charge regardless of any label you slap on their "form" of government.

But back to these people being arrested.........*shrug* I dont agree with it at all however other than asking our government to sever all ties to the saudi government (which as likely as me having a winning multimillion dollar powerball ticket atm) I dont see what else we can do to get them or any government for that matter to stop behaving like assholes when they want to.

[quadrature]

5. Facebook --> NSAbook ... use at your own risk ...nt

nt

[Ash_F]

6. USA's top ally right there.

But the State department only has so much criticism to go around after Venezuela and Ecuador.