A Saudi court sentenced a female journalist to 60 lashes in a case brought after a Lebanese television  channel she worked for aired the sex confession of a Saudi man, the reporter and  a lawyer said.

Rosana, 22, who did not want her full name disclosed, said a court in Jeddah convicted her on Saturday on grounds that the Lebanese Broadcasting Corp (LBC) she worked for did not have proper authorization  to operate in the kingdom.

The ruling follows the sentencing by the same court of Mazen Abdul-Awad to five years in jail and 1,000 lashes earlier in October after he appeared on an LBC show and talked about his sexual  exploits.

The show has sparked a public outcry in the kingdom.

“I had nothing to do with Mazen Abdul-Jawad's show. The verdict was just because I cooperated with LBC,'' the female journalist told Reuters.

LBC is a popular channel in Saudi Arabia, and many Saudis tune in to its Western-style entertainment programs and talk shows.

“I was not aware (that LBC was  unlicensed), but in the end this is the verdict and I accept it. I don't want to appeal,'' Rosana said.

The court could not be reached, while a spokesman for the information ministry in Riyadh declined comment.

“This is the first case in which a journalist was tried at a court of summary jurisdiction for an offense relating to the nature of his or her profession,'' said Sulaiman al-Jumaie, a lawyer who defended Abdul-Jawad.

Saudi authorities closed the LBC offices after the show was aired. – Reuters