Waleed Al-Shehhi

A sentence of two years in prison and a fine of 500,000 dirhams (100,000 euros) – Waleed Al-Shehhi, a netizen based in Ajman, in the United Arab Emirates, has paid dearly for a few tweets about the trial of 94 Emiratis, most of whom were convicted of endangering the country’s security for having links with an Islamist organization. Arrested in May 2013, Shehhi was convicted under the UAE’s cyber-crime law, which forbids the use of information technology for activities “harming the reputation of the state.” His crime was informing the general public about this trial, from which the international media were excluded, and about the torture of the detainees. Shehhi was himself mistreated and repeatedly threatened with physical torture.