UAE rights activist sentenced to 10 years in prison

United Arab Emirates human rights activist Ahmed Mansoor was given a 10-year jail sentence for his social media use. According to Gulf News, ‘He was found guilty of using social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, etc. to publish false information, rumours and lies about the UAE and promoted sectarian feelings and hatred that would damage the UAE’s social harmony and unity’. Amnesty International’s Middle East Research Director, Lynn Maalouf said, however, that ‘Ahmed Mansoor is one of the few openly critical voices in the UAE, and his persecution is another nail in the coffin for human rights activism in the country’.