[gallery size="medium" td_select_gallery_slide="slide" td_gallery_title_input="To troll or not to troll" ids="148011,148012,148013,148014"] Saudi Gazette report CYNICS who are used to making tepid remarks against government officials on social networking websites could be in for trouble. Saudi citizens and expatriate residents who use social media platforms to ridicule officials or make sarcastic comments about development projects in the country will face severe punishments, according to legal experts. Speaking to Al-Riyadh newspaper, they said such reactions could raise doubts in people's minds about a project's feasibility and the credibility of the state. "If a person ridicules a government official by posting part of his statements out of context on social media networks, he or she could be punished under the cyber crimes law," said lawyer Khalid Al-Fakhri. "Some people link officials' statements to comic clips from movies and television comedies," he added. He said the law bans making sarcastic comments against officials with the intention of ridiculing them. Such acts would eventually have a negative impact on the implementation of development projects, he said. "At the same time, officials should refrain from vain talk in the media about utopian projects in order to avoid ridicule by the public," he pointed out. A minister or official makes statements on projects representing his department and when a person ridicules that statement he actually ridicules the department, which will have the right to defend its stand and reputation through legal channels, Al-Fakhri said. "The person who ridiculed the department would be punished according to the law for trying to undermine its reputation," he added. He said some people consider these kinds of sarcastic comments as part of freedom of expression or are protected by international agreements that grant such freedom to individuals. "But ridiculing people will not be considered freedom of expression, which has been restricted by certain limits and which should not infringe upon the rights of others. So when an official makes an announcement of a development project one should not underestimate its importance and feasibility," Al-Fakhri said. At the same time, citizens can complain to the National Anti-Corruption Commission if they thought the project was flawed or if it was not implemented on schedule, he explained. The commission responded to such complaints in the past and has taken action against erring officials and their departments. "It's the right of citizens to make such complaints but they should not use this right to ridicule public servants and government departments by creating hashtags and posting video clips," he pointed out. If the department files a lawsuit, the defendants will have to prove their claim against the project or face legal action. The punishment will depend on the enormity and seriousness of the offense. "For example, a person takes a photo of the official while speaking about an infrastructure project and publishes it inappropriately, calling the project a utopian idea. This way the person creates doubts about the project in the minds of people and puts the state's credibility at stake," Al-Fakhri pointed out. "In such cases, the accused will be jailed for three years and fined SR500,000. The punishment could go up considering the crime's enormity," he explained. "On the other hand, if someone takes the picture of the official's house or any private place and comments that if this is the condition of the official's house, how can he implement such a stupendous project, this violates the official's right to privacy," he added. Dr. Majed Qanash, consultant in family and behavioral psychology, said Saudi society looks at matters of life seriously and it cannot be treated as a society that takes everything lightly. "Those who make sarcastic comments on officials through social media are young people who do not know how to spend their free time usefully and constructively. They waste their time on trivial matters," he added. He said most of these people do not know how to plan their lives and they find happiness in ridiculing others by creating sarcastic video clips and messages. They look for mistakes of officials to abuse them and tarnish their image in the society. They use their IT skills and make use of the electronic media to achieve fame. "Some officials provoke young men and women by making antagonistic and unfriendly comments and pronouncements," Qanash told Al
