Saudi court sentences Zaid Hamid to eight years in jail, 1000 lashes

Hamid was detained on charges of making speeches against government.
SAUDI ARABIA (Dunya News) – A Saudi court has sentenced prominent hardline commentator and self-styled ‘Defense Analyst’ Zaid Hamid for eight years in prison and over 1,000 lashes for his outburst against the government.
According to reports, Hamid was detained while on a private visit to the kingdom with his wife where he allegedly made speeches against the Saudi government at a public gathering and was arrested in case of hate speech against Arabs.
Zaid Hamid was tried in court and was indicted.
Often criticized as conspiracy theorist, Zaid Hamid has been vocal in his political stances; especially putting forward his version of government system and the foreign policy.
Last year, Hamid’s assistant blew the whistle and claimed Hamid wanted to use militancy and psychological tactics to further his agenda.