Amnesty: Saudi activist sentenced to 4 years

Associated Press – April 18, 2012

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Amnesty International says a Saudi Arabian court
has convicted a prominent rights activist of anti-state crimes and
sentenced him to four years in prison.

The London-based group says activist Mohammed al-Bajady was tried in
secret. He was detained a year ago and is believed to have been on a
hunger strike for a month.

Amnesty said in a statement Tuesday that it has "credible information"
that a Specialized Criminal Court in Riyadh found al-Bajady guilty of
several offenses, including participating in the establishment of a human
rights organization and harming the image of Saudi Arabia in media
articles.

The group says the verdict was pronounced during a secret court session on
April 10 which al-Bajady's lawyers were not allowed to attend.