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Bahrain Arrests Man for Sympathizing with Qatar

Bahrain has apparently made good on its threat to arrest anyone showing sympathy for Qatar. On Wednesday, a man was taken into custody, interrogated, and remanded for allegedly posting a sympathetic post on social media. The Gulf State’s cyberterrorism law allows for the arrest of anyone who uses social media to dissent. Qatar has been ostracized by Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for supporting terrorism, banning Qataris from living in those nations and from landing their aircraft in their airports. According to the government,“Any expression of sympathy with the government of Qatar or opposition to the measures taken by the government of Bahrain, whether through social media, Twitter or any other form of communication, is a criminal offense punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine.”