Kuwait court toughens tweeter Al-Rasheedi's jail term

Kuwait's appeals court on Wednesday toughened the jail term of an opposition tweeter to five years for calling for a coup and insulting the emir of the Gulf state. Bader al-Rasheedi was jailed on November 28 after the lower court gave him a two-year term, but the appeals court decided to increase this to five years, director of the Kuwait Society for Human Rights Mohammad al-Humaidi told AFP. Rasheedi was charged with instigating to overthrow the regime, spreading false news about the emirate abroad and writing tweets deemed offensive to the ruler of the OPEC member state, Humaidi said. The tweeter has the right to appeal the sentence in the supreme court, where rulings are final.