A founding member of one of the few independent human rights groups in Saudi Arabia has been sentenced to 10 years in prison, a regional rights group said today.
Mohammed al-Bajadi was sentenced last Thursday by the Specialised Criminal Court in Riyadh, whose jurisdiction is related to "terrorism", the Gulf Center for Human Rights (GCHR) said in a statement.
Bajadi is a founder of the Association for Civil and Political Rights (ACPRA), said the GCHR, which has offices in Beirut and Copenhagen.
Bajadi, in his 30s, faced various accusations including acquiring banned books, organising a protest by the families of prisoners and publishing material that "would prejudice public order", the group said.
Bajadi was one of three members of the group awaiting re-trial. Two others were detained without trial, while three were serving prison terms of up to 15 years, Amnesty said in October.
The comments came in response to worldwide outrage over the sentence of 1,000 lashes handed to another activist, Raef Badawi, for "insulting Islam."
The foreign ministry said the country's constitution "is based on sharia (Islamic law) that guarantees human rights".
In January, Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstroem condemned the kingdom's treatment of Badawi as "nearly mediaeval".
Badawi received his first 50 lashes in January but there have been no more since.
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