Saudi rights activist to serve four years in prison

Jeddah A court in Riyadh has sentenced prominent Saudi rights campaigner Mohammad Al Bajadi to four years in prison, activists said.

Al Bajadi was detained in March 2011 after voicing support for families demonstrating outside the Interior Ministry in Riyadh to demand the release of jailed relatives. Fellow activists said he has been on hunger strike for a month.

Al Bajadi has sent a handwritten letter to fellow activist Mohammad Al Qah'tani saying his charges included forming a human rights association, tarnishing Saudi Arabia's reputation in the media, questioning the independence of the judiciary, encouraging political detainees' relatives to demonstrate, and owning illegal books.