An Emirati court has sentenced an award-winning human rights activist to 10 years in prison for insulting the state, pro-government media and rights groups reported Thursday. Amnesty International said Ahmed Mansoor was fined one million dirhams ($272,245) in addition to the decade-long jail term over his Facebook and Twitter posts.
The National and Gulf News, two UAE dailies close to the government, said the Abu Dhabi court had also ordered Mansoor be placed under surveillance for three years after his release. The 48-year-old was convicted of attempting to harm his country's relations with its neighbours by spreading misinformation on social media, according to The National.
Mansoor was cleared of conspiring with a "terrorist organisation". Foreign journalists are not allowed to attend such trials in the United Arab Emirates, whose ruling families rarely tolerate opposition.