On Sunday, the Saudi security authorities announced the arrest of a citizen after he published “false information,” while activists talked about the fact that the arrested person was a Saudi preacher named Imad Al-Moubayed.
And on Sunday, the police of Al-Khobar Governorate, in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, arrested a citizen for violating the anti-cybercrime law, according to a statement by the “General Security”.
Public Security said that the citizen “documented and published visual content on social media that included false information that would harm public order.”
The statement confirmed the suspension of the citizen and taking legal measures against him and referring him to the Public Prosecution, without addressing his person, what he did, and the nature of the published video.
However, activists linked the security statement to a widely circulated video clip of Imad Al-Mobayed, a Saudi preacher who previously held the position of imam and preacher of the King Abdulaziz Mosque in Dammam, referring to the “arrest of the preacher.”
In early March, the preacher published, through his Twitter account, a video clip in which he gave “advice to the rulers of affairs in the Kingdom”, addressing a message to the Saudi monarch, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and the Crown Prince, Prince Muhammad bin Salman, and the head of the Entertainment Authority, Turki Al. Sheikh.
During the clip, Al-Moubayed said, “Fear God in the affairs of the country, and reform what is happening there in terms of obliterating the Islamic faith, and replacing the identity of Islam with other, different identities.”
He continued his speech, saying, “This country (Saudi Arabia) was established on the basis of faith, and it was established on the basis of God’s religion and its implementation, and what is happening today is contrary to what this country was founded on.”
And he sent a message to Turki Al-Sheikh, saying, “Fear God in what God has entrusted you with. Fear God in our youth and daughters. Fear God in this generation.”
On the second of March, Al-Moubayed published a new video clip, which he said was “to clarify what some people misunderstood from the first video.”
Al-Moubayed appeared in the video clip, in front of him a written paper, reading from it, to say, “Some people may have misunderstood what I mentioned in the previous clip, and I would like to clarify and affirm that our country, its leadership, and its people enjoy great goodness, security, safety, prosperity, and development.”
The Law on Combating Information Crimes in Saudi Arabia criminalizes “producing, preparing, sending, or storing anything that would prejudice public order, religious values, public morals, or the sanctity of private life through the information network or a computer.”
Whoever does so shall be punished with imprisonment for a period not exceeding five years and a fine not exceeding three million riyals, or with one of these two penalties, according to “The panel of experts affiliated to the Saudi Council of Ministers“.
