MIDDLE EAST EYE
The charges against a prominent Saudi Arabian preacher facing the death penalty include the use of social media accounts and messaging apps, according to court documents.
Awad al-Qarni, 65, had “admitted” to using a Twitter account under his name “at every opportunity… to express his opinions”, the documents seen by the Guardian revealed on Sunday.
Qarni was arrested in 2017 in a sweeping crackdown on preachers, academics, journalists, businesspeople and others.
The allegations against him also included the creation of a Telegram account and sharing news considered “hostile” to the kingdom in a WhatsApp chat.
Additionally, the law professor was accused of praising the Muslim Brotherhood movement in a video.
Admissions and confessions during interrogations in Saudi prisons are often taken after torture and mistreatment.
A year after his arrest, the public prosecutor called for Qarni to face the death penalty along with Salman Odah and Ali al-Omari.
Qarni, Omari and Odah are independent religious and media figures with a large following among Saudi Arabian and Arab youth.
The Saudi government has been accused by human rights groups of a widespread crackdown on dissent and freedom of expression.
