Man sentenced to 10 years in jail for Twitter 'insults'

Kuwait: A defence lawyer in Kuwait says a court has sentenced a man to 10 years in prison for Twitter posts deemed insulting to Islam and to the rulers of Gulf allies Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

The case appears to reflect a growing conservative influence in Kuwait. The lawyer, Khaled al-Shatti, is quoted today in Gulf media reports as saying his client, Hamad al-Naqi, has a chance to appeal the sentence.

Al-Naqi claims his Twitter account was hacked. Prosecutors say Al-Naqi's account contained posts insulting to the Prophet Muhammad and the Gulf states of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

Prosecutors say Al-Naqi\'s account contained posts insulting to the Prophet Muhammad.

Bahrain's Sunni monarchy has waged nearly 16 months of crackdowns against a Shiite-led uprising. Bahrain's rulers are strongly aided by neighboring Saudi Arabia.

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