<p><em>Make fun of the Saudi government on your Facebook page and you could end up in prison for up to five years. ;</em></p>
<p>As announced Tuesday, any online content which &ldquo;disrupts public order&rdquo; is considered a &ldquo;cybercrime&rdquo; punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of $180,000. ;</p>
<p>This also includes pornography, material related to drugs and human trafficking, humor directed at the royal family, and any commentary found to &ldquo;infringe on religious boundaries and social morals and ethics.&rdquo; ;</p>
<p>The new law, which affects social media networks like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Snapchat, is the latest in a series of moves by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to silence dissent. ;</p>
<p>Salman has attracted international criticism for his crackdown on human rights activists and political dissidents, ;which has led to dozens of arrests since his appointment in June 2017. Many have been convicted with charges related to dissent based on controversial Twitter posts. ;</p>
<p>Salman&rsquo;s crackdown extends even to the royal family, whose members ;were rounded up with ministers and businessmen as part of a corruption purge last November. Most were released after reaching undisclosed financial deals with the government. ;</p>
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<p>Salman&#8217;s government on Tuesday also announced it would be seeking the death penalty for Sheikh Salman al-Awdah, an Islamist cleric arrested in September 2017 after he refused to publicly support Saudi policies. ;</p>
<p>The announcement is a &ldquo;disturbing trend in the Kingdom [that] sends a horrifying message that peaceful dissent and expression may be met with the death penalty,&rdquo; argues Amnesty International spokeswoman Dana Ahmed.</p>
<p>The UN has described Awdah as a &ldquo;reformist&rdquo; who has pushed for greater respect for human rights under Sharia Law. According to Awdah&rsquo;s son, the charges against him include controversial tweets and establishing an organization in Kuwait for defending the Prophet Mohammad. ;</p>
<p>The cleric had a large following on YouTube and Twitter. ;</p>
<p><strong>Editor&#8217;s note:</strong> I guess we, at the Punching Bag Post, will not be vacationing in Saudi Arabia anytime soon. I&#8217;ve been there, no great loss&#8230;</p>