Kuwait court upholds 10-year jail term for tweeter

Kuwait's appeals court on Monday upheld a 10-year jail term for a tweeter found guilty of insulting the Gulf state's ruler and calling for the overthrow of the regime. Orance al-Rasheedi was tried on charges of spreading false news about Kuwait to undermine the oil-rich country's image and calling for regime's overthrow in video footage on YouTube, the court ruled. It said he had also used the social networking site Twitter and YouTube to publicly insult the emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, who is protected against criticism by Kuwait's constitution. The lower court sentenced Rasheedi to 10 years in jail in October. He can still challenge the verdict before the supreme court whose rulings are final. Kuwait has in the past several months clamped down on Internet activists who allegedly break the country's laws, especially by committing religious offences. The courts have already jailed several such activists and others are awaiting trial.