RIYADH
A Saudi court has sentenced a Saudi television presenter to 12 years in prison after finding him guilty of criticizing the country's ruler and sowing sedition in the oil-rich kingdom, according to the official SPA new agency.
The presenter, whose name was not given, had been convicted of "distorting the state's reputation by claiming that terrorism and Al-Qaeda were the products of Saudi Arabia."
He was also charged with contacting "a party hostile to the Kingdom and receiving suspicious funds from it."
In addition to the jail term, the court barred the presenter from appearing in any media and banned him from leaving the kingdom for 20 upon the completion of his jail term.
The convicted media man can appeal the ruling within 30 days.
Saudi-owned Al-Hayat newspaper said the presenter in question owns the satellite channel that broadcast his show.
According to the paper, the "hostile party" referred to was the regime of late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
Al-Hayat said the man admitted traveling to Libya and receiving $1.8 million, a sum he said was used to cover the expenses of a religious contest.
Saudi Arabia had tense relations with late Gaddafi, who was unseated by a popular revolution in 2012.
Earlier this week, Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz issued a decree mandating jail terms for whoever engages in unsanctioned combat outside the kingdom or joins "radical movements" or "terrorist groups."
The decree applies to anyone who supports these groups and their ideologies, be it financial or moral support.
A new legislation dismisses as "terrorist act" threatening Saudi Arabia's unity, disturbing public order or defaming the kingdom or the king.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
