Man faces year in jail after Abbas Facebook joke

Source : Maan News Agency

NABLUS (Ma’an) -- A Palestinian court has sentenced a man from the Nablu area to a year in prison for insulting President Mahmoud Abbas on Facebook officials said Thursday.

The Nablus magistrates court sentenced Anas Saad Awwad, 26, of Awart village, in absentia to a year in prison after convicting him on charges o criticizing the government, an official said.

Khalil Assaf, the director of the public freedoms committee within a unimplemented unity deal, called the sentence itself an insult to the presiden not the supposed crime of criticizing him.

Assaf called on the court to reverse the ruling.

The defendant had been detained previously on similar charges, but wa released after paying a fine, according to his father.

"My son only commented on Facebook. You know how young peop comment," he said. "He didn't mean to insult the president. I ask the presiden to intervene personally to cancel the court's decision."

Awwad's lawyer, Rima al-Sayyed, said her client has been accused of photo shopping of Abbas wearing a Real Madrid shirt with the caption: "A ne attacker."

She declined to comment on the sentence, saying it was not final.

Last year Palestinian security forces jailed at least three people accused separate incidents of criticizing the government on social networking websites