Qatar: Clamp-down on free speech

Doha has introduced a new law restricting the already limited room for free speech. A recent amendment to the penal code, Article 136, allows for fines of QR100,000 ($27,400) and five years imprisonment for “anyone who broadcasts, publishes, or republishes false or biased rumours, statements, or news, or inflammatory propaganda… with the intent to harm national interests, stir up public opinion, or infringe on the social system or the public system of the state”.