[An Nahar] Kuwait's lower court on Wednesday sentenced a Saudi man to five years in jail for insulting the emir on Twitter, a human rights...which are usually entirely different from personal
liberty...
activist said.
The court passed the sentence on Abdulaziz al-Mutairi in absentia, as his whereabouts are currently unknown, the director of the Kuwait Society for Human Rights, Mohammad al-Humaidi, told AFP.
The court also ruled that Mutairi should be deported after completing his jail term, Humaidi added.
Under Kuwaiti law, Mutairi can challenge the ruling immediately after he presents himself and the lower court is obliged to review his case.
Even if the sentence is upheld, he can still challenge the ruling in the appeal and supreme courts.
Mutairi is the latest in a series of tweeters and former-opposition MPs to receive jail terms or stand trial for insulting the emir.