A Kuwaiti court on Wednesday sentenced a Shia lawmaker to 14 years and six months in absentia for remarks deemed highly offensive to fellow Gulf states Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
Abdulhameed Dashti received 11 years and six months for insulting Saudi Arabia and three years for insulting Bahrain in another case.
The outspoken lawmaker, who has been living overseas for the past four months, was also convicted of endangering Kuwait’s diplomatic ties with the two countries and for calling on people to join the Lebanese Hezbollah militia.
Dashti described the sentences as “oppressive” on his Twitter account, but insisted that he will not back down.
The verdicts are not final but Dashti can only challenge them when he goes back to the oil-rich emirate. He did not say when he will return.
Dashti, a strong supporter of Iran and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, told parliament in March that he was undergoing medical treatment in Britain.
The lawmaker still faces several similar cases and if convicted could receive additional jail terms.