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Over here in the part of the world where the worst we can get for expressing our opinions is some pepper spray in the face or getting a little roughed up by law enforcement. In other places in the world however there is a lot more at stake for expressing one’s opinion – like your freedom.
One of those dangerous places is the Middle East and the United Arab Emirates where jail is probably the least of the dangers; but that isn’t stopping bloggers from ending up in prison.
Bloggers like Ahmed Mansour for example who was arrested in April along with economics professor Nasser bin Ghaith and activists Fahad Salim Dalk, Hassan Ali al-Khamis and Ahmed Abdul Khaleq for nothing more than insulting the UAE’s rulers.
Of the five Mansour got the longest sentence of three years because he, like the others, demanded constitutional and parliamentary changes as well as free elections.
According to Global Voices, there have been few reactions online, particularly on social networks, to the arrest of the activists in the UAE. With news of the sentencing today, there has been a small but angered reaction on Twitter under the hashtag#UAE5.
via The Next Web
