Twitter comment lands Saudi scribe in trouble
Riyadh, April 26, 2014
A Saudi sports journalist has been sentenced to three months in jail, 50 lashes, a SR5,000 fine by a Riyadh court for defaming the presidents of two Saudi soccer clubs on Twitter, a report said.
Mohammad Shanwan Al-Inizi has also been banned from using Twitter for three months, the Arab News report said.
The court, in a preliminary verdict, found Al-Inizi guilty of abusing Al-Hilal and Al-Shabbab on his Twitter account.
Al-Shabbab’s president Khalid Al-Baltan subsequently sued Al-Inizi for defamation.
Al-Inizi said it was the right of the club to sue him, but maintained that there was a long legal process ahead because the court had issued a preliminary finding, the report said.