Seven Saudi nationals accused of instigating anti-government protests in the Eastern Province were yesterday sentenced to five to 10 years in prison.
A special court in Jeddah, which delivered the verdict, also banned the convicts from traveling abroad.
According to the Saudi Press Agency, the convicts were accused of joining banned groups such as March 4 Youth Movement in Al-Ahsa and Al-Ahsa Freedom Movement on the Internet.
The seven were also accused of following a foreign channel that calls for creating chaos and division and making unlawful groups in the Kingdom.
They also supported Bahraini revolutionaries and called for challenging the Peninsula Shield Force, a joint army of GCC states.
Other charges include publishing pamphlets against the state through the Internet in order to mobilize people to join anti-government protests.
The public prosecutor and defendants’ relatives attended the court session.
The defendant No. 1 was sentenced to five years in jail while No. 2 and 3 for seven and eight years respectively.
The defendant No. 4 has to serve six years from the time of his arrest while No. 5 five years. No. 7 has been sentenced to 10 years while No. 6 seven years.
The public prosecutor and the convicts can appeal the verdict within 30 days.
Travel ban, jail terms for 7 EP rioters
