Inciting hatred: Controversial cleric’s prison term upheld

The High Criminal Court has upheld the jail term of a controversial religious cleric, who was convicted of instigating hatred against the regime. 

Mohammed Al Mansi was earlier sentenced to one-year imprisonment in connection with a sermon he delivered in a mosque, although he was banned from addressing people publicly.

The sermon, according to Public Prosecution, included inflammatory remarks meant to incite the public against the authorities and negatively impact civil peace.

Al Mansi reportedly told the crowd that the police had detained a woman and  assaulted her sexually. Besides, in several parts of the sermon, he spoke about alleged violations made by the authorities.

According to the court files, the Ministry of Justice banned the defendant from giving sermons as he was spreading extremist ideology and inciting worshippers against the leadership of the Kingdom.

The defendant is said to have been convicted in several cases, including degrading the Sunni sect, spreading hatred against the regime and encouraging public to participate in illegal protests.

When questioned about the woman’s story, Al Mansi said that he knew about it from social media platforms and that he shared it with the crowd.