A Saudi writer has been sentenced to seven years in prison for offences including having contact with foreign journalists, a rights group said Thursday, part of what activists call "an intensified crackdown". The Gulf Centre for Human Rights said Nadhir al-Majid, 40, received the sentence last week from the Specialised Criminal Court in Riyadh.
Rights monitors have criticised the practice of trying activists in such courts, which handle "terrorism" cases.
"Reports have confirmed that the writer was alone during the hearing and not accompanied by his family or his lawyer," said the Gulf Centre, which has offices in Copenhagen and Beirut.
It said the prosecution filed many charges against Majid, including participating in demonstrations and "having contact with correspondents" of foreign media organisations.