Qatari poet sentenced to 15 years for insulting former emir.
Muhammad Ibn al-Dheeb al-Ajami wrote verses praising the Arab Spring, criticizing the then Qatari emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and the "sheikhs playing on their PlayStations".
DOHA, Oct 21 (Reuters) - A Qatari court on Monday upheld the 15-year prison sentence for poet Muhammad Ibn al-Dheeb al-Ajami, convicted of insulting a former monarch and inciting riots.
Ajami wrote verses praising the Arab Spring, criticizing the then Qatari emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and the "sheikhs playing on their PlayStations".
All possibilities for appeal have been exhausted, and the poet can only be released if he receives a pardon from the new emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.
Initially, al-Ajami was sentenced to life imprisonment, but the sentence was later reduced to 15 years.
His lawyer was unavailable for comment.
(Reporting by Amena Bakr)