Saudi Arabia: Hostile Foreign Parties Led Defamation Cyber-Attacks

Gulf

January 18th, 6:00am

Riyadh – Mohammed Halal

REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/Illustration

Saudi Arabia’s Public Prosecution exposed on Monday campaigns led by adverse foreign parties aiming to mar the Kingdom’s reputation. It also stressed that anybody caught making false statements about matters ‘related to public order’ could face up to five years in jail and a SR3 million fine. In a statement, the Public Prosecution denied rumors spread regarding one of the events that were held in the capital, Riyadh, and confirmed that the claims were a part of campaigns led by hostile parties aimed at discrediting Saudi Arabia. Spreading, inciting, or taking part in rumors and lies about matters related to public order through social media, especially the matters whose origins are from hostile parties managed from abroad, is considered as one of the major crimes that require arrest in line with the Anti-Cyber Crime Law and the Law of Criminal Procedures. The agency had monitored several fake accounts on social media that are involved in fabricating and instigating baseless rumors pertaining to one of the recent events, that was with coordination and support from external hostile parties, which were found behind most of the monitored posts. Some people from inside Saudi Arabia were found involved in circulating and inciting such rumors. The Public Prosecution summoned them, and work is underway to complete the criminal procedures against them. Anyone who incited, assisted, or agreed to commit this crime would also have to face punitive measures. Public Prosecution called on everyone to receive information only from its official sources and not to get carried away by rumors or participate in their dissemination through social media to avert facing consequences involving criminal accountability. In this regard, the Public Prosecution affirmed that it will not tolerate anyone found to have been involved in such acts and that they will get maximum penalties prescribed by the law.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3421071/saudi-arabia-hostile-foreign-parties-led-defamation-cyber-attacks