Saudi Arabia is trying to silence calls for reform and criticism of its rulers by a campaign of intimidation and arrests against online activists, according to a report by Human Rights Watch.Since the start of the Arab spring in early 2011 the Saudi authorities have “redoubled” a crackdown against online criticism, the report says.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/18/saudi-arabia-arrests-online-criticsAlso see:Saudi digital generation takes on Twitter, YouTube … and authorities
Turki al-Hamad paid a heavy price for a tweet. Last year the novelist told his followers that Islam as practised in Saudi Arabia was not the “message of love” preached by the Prophet Muhammad. The outcome was six months in prison without trial.Conditions were immeasurably better than when he was detained in the 1970s, but the hazards of speaking out in the digital age were still painfully clear.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/17/saudi-arabia-digital-twitter-social-media-islam