Saudi journalist sentenced to 12 years in prison

A Saudi court sentenced journalist Wajdi al-Ghazzawi to 12 years in prison for disobeying the ruler and accusing the kingdom of terrorism. The convict made the comments on television, Middle East Online reported. He was charged with spreading the program over the Internet and accusing Saudi Arabia of insulting residents and denying them their rights. He also contacted Libya in 2009 and received a suspicious sum of money from the country when tensions were running high between Saudi Arabia and Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi, officials allege. The court also ordered al-Ghazzawi not to travel for 20 years and banned him from appearing in media during the sentencing, which occurred Tuesday.