Mehr News reported that court verdict against Muhammad bin Rashid al-Ajami, caused extreme anger and protest by famous figures of his tribe and Qatar at large.
Muhammad al-Ajami, composing under the pen-name of Ibn al-Dhabib, had been tried for an ode reportedly taken as intending harm by the country’s officials.
The poet’s lawyer has described the verdict as ‘politically motivated.’
Al-Arab, a UAE-affiliated daily based in London quoted some sources saying that folks in two tribes of Marrah and Al-Ajman had expressed anger and protest for the court’s verdict and Qatari authorities’ handling of the case, calling the verdict as ‘cruelty and oppression against their tribe.’
Despite initial promises made by Qatari authority to grant pardon to the poet in higher court, Najib al-Naimi, his lawyer told the press that the appeal court had confirmed the primitive court’s verdict of 15 years of jail for his client.
Amnesty International issued a statement saying that Qatari Attorney- General had relied on an ode originally composed in 2010 by the poet in officially accusing him and had lines in criticism of the then Emir of Qatar; however, Persian Gulf human rights activists told the Amnesty that the main reason for poet’s arrest was another ode of 2011, ‘Ode on Tunisian Jasmine’ which the poet composed after 2011 Arab Spring.
They also speculated that Qatar had arrested the poet out of fear of spreading the Spring to Qatar.
SH/MR
MNA
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