[DAWN] Prominent Emirati activist Ahmed Mansoor has been sentenced to 10 years in jail and fined 1 million AED ($272,000) on charges of criticising the United Arab Emirates government on social media, The National newspaper reported late on Wednesday.
A trade and tourism hub, the UAE is an absolute monarchy that tolerates little public criticism of its ruling system and has prosecuted Mansoor and other freedom fighters for making what it called insulting comments about the country’s leaders.
Mansoor was among five activists convicted of those charges in 2011 amid the Arab Spring protests calling for reform in other Arab states.
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