After founding “Saudi Arabian Liberals” – an online forum for political and social debate – Raif Badawi, 29, was charged last June with “setting up a website that undermines public security” and ridiculing Islamic religious figures. The prosecution had on the basis of this called for him to be tried for “apostasy”, which carries the death penalty in Saudi Arabia.

He has been detained for the past year in a prison in Briman, in the Saudi Arabian coastal city of Jeddah, after being arrested on 17 June 2012.

“One year on, Raif Badawi remains behind bars as his trial continues for the ‘crime’ of encouraging social debate online,” said Philip Luther, Director of Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Programme.

“His detention shows the authorities’ contempt for online expression, and serves as a warning to the third of the Saudi Arabian population who are resorting to social media to express themselves, particularly if they are thinking of airing dissenting views.”

The charges against Raif Badawi relate to a number of articles he has written, including one about Valentine’s Day for which he is accused of ridiculing Saudi Arabia’s Commission on the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.

One of his articles concluded:

“Congratulations to us for the Commission on the Promotion of Virtue for teaching us virtue and for its eagerness to ensure that all members of the Saudi public are among the people of paradise.”

The charges against the website founder also mention his failure to remove articles by other people on his website, including one that insinuates that Al-Imam Mohamed ibn Saud University had become “a den for terrorists”.

“Amnesty International considers Raif Badawi to be a prisoner of conscience and therefore calls for him to be released immediately and unconditionally,” said Philip Luther.

His trial began in June 2012 in the District Court in Jeddah, and was marred by irregularities there. According to his lawyer, the original trial judge was replaced by a judge who had advocated that Raif Badawi be punished for “apostasy”. His lawyer contested the judge’s impartiality in the case.

On 17 December, the District Court referred the case to the General Court in Jeddah, which five days later made Raif Badawi sign documents to enable his trial for “apostasy” to proceed.

Conflicting views over which court had jurisdiction over the case, relating in part to the judge at the District Court insisting that he be tried for “apostasy” – something only the General Court can do – resulted in the case being shuffled between several courts. Most recently on 8 June the District Court sent the case back to the appeal court once again insisting that he be tried for “apostasy” despite the appeal court not considering that he be tried on that charge.

“Raif Badawi’s trial has been an attempt to intimidate him and others who seek to engage in open debates about the issues that Saudi Arabians face in their daily lives,” said Philip Luther.

Over the past two years, the Saudi Arabian authorities have arrested several others for expressing online views deemed to be contrary to Islam.

Hamza Kashgari remains detained without charge or trial since he was extradited from Malaysia in February 2012, where he had fled after he wrote about the Prophet Muhammed on the social network Twitter.

The prominent writer and academic Turki al-Hamad was reportedly released without charge on 5 June after he was detained in December 2012 for tweets also deemed contrary to Islam.

Bloggers, critics and activists have been increasingly singled out for their online activism in the Gulf kingdom.

On 9 March 2013, the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA) was required to shut down its social media accounts and disband. Two of ACPRA’s founders, Mohammad al-Qahtani and Dr Abdullah al-Hamid, were sentenced to 10 and 11 years’ imprisonment respectively. They submitted appeals against their sentences on 28 May.

Most human rights activists who have faced interrogations have been confronted with printouts of their online statements on Twitter and other social media, with security officials questioning them about the meaning and intentions.

Abdul Aziz al-Hussan, the main lawyer of al-Qahtani and al-Hamid, was interrogated shortly after he tweeted about visiting his clients in prison in March. Arriving at the al-Malaz prison in Riyadh on 11 March, he found the two men in handcuffs, which prison officials refused to remove. He decided to leave the country within 24 hours after being interrogated.

The Jordanian Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) on Sunday ordered local Internet service providers (ISPs) to block websites that did not have licenses. The order originated from a memo by Fayez al-Shawabkeh, head of the government’s Department of Press and Publications, on Saturday.

“Censoring 300 websites makes Jordan’s talk of political reform seem hollow,” said CPJ Middle East and North Africa Coordinator Sherif Mansour. “Authorities should immediately rescind this order and uphold King Abdullah’s stated support for political reform and media freedom.”

It is not clear to what extent the ISPs have followed the government’s orders. The news website Al-Bawaba reported on Sunday that several websites had already been blocked, but that its site, which is also on the list, remained accessible.

As each ISP responds individually to the government’s orders, some websites will be blocked for some users but remain available to others. The government’s memo did not list specific URLs for many of the websites.

The memo cited Article 49 of Jordan’s Press and Publications Law, which was amended amid considerable debate last year to require local and international websites to register with the government, placing them under the same strict regulations as print publications. Websites were given a deadline of January 17 to comply, news sources reported.

“The idea of licensing news websites is contrary to the Jordanian constitution, international commitments, and public statements by the King and government,” said Daoud Kuttab, founder of AmmanNet and a recipient of CPJ’s 1996 International Press Freedom Award. AmmanNet is one of the sites listed in the memo. “It’s also a punishment to the Jordanian public, because they are blocking these sites only in Jordan while the rest of the world can see the contents of these websites,” Kuttab said.

The information minister, Mohammed Momani, said that media regulation aimed to enhance “professionalism and credibility” as a “key component of Jordan’s political reform efforts,” The Associated Press reported today. CPJ has called the amendments “a huge step backward in Jordan’s press freedom record.”