Basim sent me this: "Many have been shocked to see Qatar, the country which has been showing
support to the Arab Spring's revolutions in Egypt, Tunisia, and other Arab
countries, issuing a harsh life sentence imprisonment on Thursday against an
opponent poet of the ruling family over a poem.
Al Jazeera News Channel did not carry the news despite the fact that it has
criticized violations of human rights in other Arab countries, including Kuwait,
Jordan and Bahrain where opposing the authorities is a permitted act.
“It is deplorable that Qatar, which likes to paint itself
internationally as a country that promotes freedom of expression, is indulging
in what appears to be such a flagrant abuse of that right,” said Philip Luther,
Amnesty’s regional director. " See why I am enjoying the resumption of the Saudi-Qatari feud?
