Saudi Arabia sentences man to 10 years and 2,000 lashes for saying he is an atheist

[muriel_volestrangler]

37. From February, I think - here's the AP story:

Saudi Arabia sentences a man to 10 years in prison and 2,000 lashes for expressing his atheism on Twitter

A court in Saudi Arabia has sentenced a man to 10 years in prison and 2,000 lashes for expressing his atheism in hundreds of social media posts.

The report carried in Al-Watan says the 28-year-old man admitted to being an atheist and refused to repent, saying that what he wrote reflected his own beliefs and that he had the right to express them. The report did not name the man.

It added that ‘religious police’ in charge of monitoring social networks found more than 600 tweets denying the existence of God, ridiculing the Quranic verses, accusing all prophets of lies and saying their teaching fuelled hostilities. The court also fined him 20,000 riyals – or, just short of £4,000
...
Speaking at the time the new measures were introduced Joe Stork, deputy Middle East and North Africa director of Human Rights Watch, said: "Saudi authorities have never tolerated criticism of their policies, but these recent laws and regulations turn almost any critical expression or independent association into crimes of terrorism.

Associated Press

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/saudi-arabia-sentence-man-to-10-years-in-prison-and-2000-lashes-for-expressing-his-atheism-on-a6900056.html

Seems too close, complete with the Joe Stork quote, to be a different instance. Fox, and their partners-in-crime at The Sun, aren't the most diligent journalists in the world.

Ah yes, I did post it on DU at the time: http://www.democraticunderground.com/1218224274