29/01/2018 (Agence Europe) – On Saturday 27 January, the spokesperson for the European External Action Service reiterated the EU's "strong commitment to the protection, globally, of human rights defenders", following the sentencing of Mohamed Al Otaibi and Abdullah Al Atawi to 14 and 7 years imprisonment respectively on 25 January by the specialised criminal court in Saudi Arabia, for having incited public opinion to prepare, draft and publish statements damaging Saudi Arabia's reputation, along with that of its judicial and security institutions. "While fully respecting the prerogatives of Saudi Arabia's judiciary, the European Union underlines the importance of the respect of human rights, including the one to a fair trial, in all cases", the spokesperson stated in a press release, warning that the EU would follow the appeal procedure closely. (CG)