JEDDAH – A special criminal court in Jeddah sentenced six people to various prison terms and fines for engaging in or encouraging disruptive activities in the country, the Saudi Press Agency reported Thursday. The first defendant was sentenced to five years in prison after he was found guilty of promoting articles and video clips of an individual who had been actively encouraging sedition and riots in the Al-Awamiya area of Qatif governorate on the Internet. The second defendant was charged with participating in discussions on social networking websites persuading young men to stage anti-government protests. He also took part in the Al-Awamiya riots. He was sentenced to six years in prison and fined SR50,000. The third defendant, a drug addict, was found guilty of storing seditious material in his computer and contacting a terrorist suspect outside the Kingdom. He had also participated in fighting abroad. The judge sentenced him to five years in prison and 79 lashes. He was also banned from travelling for five years. The fourth defendant had given shelter to terrorists and helped a number of citizens leave the country to fight in Afghanistan. He tried to coax people to finance fighters outside the country. He was handed down an 11-year prison sentence. The fifth defendant was accused of attending takfiri gatherings and maintaining ties with some Al-Qaeda operatives. He provided shelter to terrorists, including the man who shot at police officers in Jeddah, and tried to smuggle them out of the country. He was sentenced to 11 years in prison. The sixth defendant was found guilty of traveling to Iraq and fighting alongside some groups and financing terrorism. He was sentenced to eight months in prison and a fine of SR4,000. All six defendants challenged the verdicts and said they would file an appeal.
