Qatar Poet Receives Reduced Prison Term After Offensive Verse
A Qatar poet who was jailed for offending the country’s ruler has had his prison sentence reduced from life to 15 years. The poet, Muhammad ibn al-Dheeb al-Ajami, denounced the court’s ruling as he was hoping to have his sentence dropped.
Al-Ajami was imprisoned over a 2010 poem he published online which discussed the traits needed for a good ruler. The Qatar ruling family deemed the verse offensive, and Ajami was jailed in November of 2011.
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The case is seen as a test to the Gulf country’s crackdown on controversial political posts on the Internet, which have caused international criticism. Ajami’s attorney said his client had no intention of challenging Qatar’s ruling family. Ajami can appeal to a higher court.
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