INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Mansoor, 49, was handed prison term in May by a lower court
state, Amnesty International said.The ruling by Federal Supreme Court is final and cannot be appealed, London-based rights group said in a
statement.The court also confirmed a fine of one million dirhams ($270,000) for Mansoor, who will be kept under survillance for three years
after his release.Foreign journalists are not allowed to attend such trials in United Arab Emirates, whose ruling families rarely tolerate
opposition.The ruling "confirms there is no space for free expression in United Arab Emirates," Amnesty said in a statement."Ahmed Mansoor's
only 'crime' was to express his peaceful opinions on social media, and it is outrageous that he is being punished with such a heavy prison
sentence."Instead of punishing Ahmed Mansoor for daring to express his opinions, authorities must ensure his conviction and sentence are
quashed and release him immediately and unconditionally," rights group said.Mansoor, 49, was handed prison term in May by a lower court
after he was convicted of attempting to harm his country's relations with its neighbours by spreading misinformation in posts on Facebook
and Twitter, according to local media.He was however cleared of conspiring with a "terrorist organisation".During his trial, all court
proceedings were conducted in almost total secrecy.Mansoor, one of most prominent human rights defenders in UAE, received prestigious Martin
Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders in 2015 for his work documenting human rights situation in country.His arrest in March 2017 under
Gulf state's cyber-crime law triggered an international outcry led by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty.During Mansoor's detention, prosecutor
accused him of using social media to "publish false information and rumours, spread tendentious ideas that would sow sedition, sectarianism
and hatred", state news agency WAM had reported.He was also accused of harming "national unity and social peace" and "state's
reputation".Mansoor was part of a group of activists known as UAE Five, who were arrested in April 2011 and released later that year after a
presidential pardon, although authorities confiscated his passport and banned him from leaving country.(This story has not been edited by
TheIndianSubcontinent staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
