Mohammed al-Ajami

Mohammed al-Ajami (also known as "Mohammed Ibn al-Dheeb"; ; born in Qatar), is a Qatari poet who was imprisoned between 2011 and 2016 on state security charges. Prior to his arrest, he was a literature student at Cairo University. On 29 November 2012, he was sentenced to life imprisonment,

Arrest and detention Al-Ajami was summoned to meet with state security officials on 16 November 2011 in Doha, and was arrested when he arrived for the meeting. He was charged with insulting Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and "inciting to overthrow the ruling system". Under Qatari law, the latter charge is punishable by death. he also spent five months in solitary confinement. Al-Nuaimi also accused authorities of procedural irregularities including evidence tampering, allegations which Attorney General Ali bin Fetais al-Marri denied. BBC News reported that al-Ajami had read a poem criticizing Arab rulers before a private audience in his home, which an audience member then posted online.

The International Committee for the Liberation of the Qatari Poet Mohammed Ibn al-Dheeb al-Ajami, linked to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, was established on October 22, 2013. The committee was co-founded by Arab and foreign human rights, artistic and creative figures, and chaired by Riadh Sidaoui.

In February 2013, it was reported that al-Ajami's life sentence had been reduced to fifteen years. Defense attorneys seeking his immediate release said they were planning an appeal to Qatar's supreme court.

Release from prison

Al-Ajami was released from prison in March 2016 after a royal pardon commuted his sentence. EveryOne Group, 100 Thousand Poets for Change, Split This Rock, PEN American Center, PEN Center Germany, Code Pink, and Rootsaction.org were engaged in civil actions to ask the authorities of Qatar to review the judgment and release Mohammed al-Ajami.