Civil Liberties

UAE Man Jailed for Tweeting About Father's Trial

Sentenced to 10 months

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A court in the United Arab Emirates sentenced a man to 10 months in jail on Monday after he tweeted details of the trial of his father and 93 other people accused of plotting to seize power in the Gulf Arab state, an Emirati activist said.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) said last week that Abdulla al-Hadidi was arrested on March 21 on charges of publishing "in bad faith" false details of a public trial session on the Internet.

The day before the arrest, officials from the Federal Supreme Court in Abu Dhabi had informed Hadidi and several other relatives of the defendants family members would no longer be allowed to attend the trial, HRW said.