Amnesty: Saudi activist sentenced to 4 years
Apr 18, 2012, 7:04 AM
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) – Amnesty International says a Saudi Arabian court has convicted a prominent rights activist of anti-state crimes and sentenced him to four years in prison.
The London-based group says activist Mohammed al-Bajady was tried in secret. He was detained a year ago and is believed to have been on a hunger strike for a month.
Amnesty said in a statement Tuesday that it has “credible information” that a Specialized Criminal Court in Riyadh found al-Bajady guilty of several offenses, including participating in the establishment of a human rights organization and harming the image of Saudi Arabia in media articles.
The group says the verdict was pronounced during a secret court session on April 10 which al-Bajady’s lawyers were not allowed to attend.
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