Manama: A court of appeals in Saudi Arabia has sentenced a man who faked a video clip to one month in prison and 40 lashes.
The court in Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia also ordered the defendant to make a public apology in a local newspaper to a dentist for seeking to tarnish his reputation through the fake clip.
The defendant claimed that the dentist, a foreigner, worked in the dental clinic per day and as a shawarma vendor in the evening.
He supported his claim with a short clip that showed the back of a man slicing off meat in a shawarma shop.
The clip was used on a television programme broadcasted by a pan-Arab television alongside a sarcastic comment that named the dentist and insisted he was selling shawarma in the evening.
The television report showed the defendant reiterating his accusation against the dentist and a health official saying they heard about the shawarma doctor issue.
Both men spoke over the phone.
The host of the programme insisted on the fact the dentist was not a Saudi national and blamed the health authorities for failing to spot him during their inspection visits.
According to Saudi news site Al Marsad, the court verdict is final and cannot be appealed.
In their comments, bloggers said the ruling should have been more severe, arguing that tarnishing people's reputations was a serious offense.
Some comments called for legal action against those who voiced racism and sarcasm against the non-Saudi dentist.
