By Mansoor Al-Shehri

Okaz/Saudi Gazette

RIYADH – The Public Prosecution sought the death penalty for a Saudi man who was accused of at least 37 charges, including his association with the banned terrorist organization Muslim Brotherhood and his call for change in government in Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries.

The prosecution made the appeal on the first day of the trial of the defendant at the Specialized Criminal Court in Riyadh on Tuesday. Four relatives of the accused and local reporters were present during the court proceedings.

The Saudi man had served as assistant secretary of the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), of which Yusuf Al-Qaradawi is the president.

The defendant was accused of supervising and funding ‘Al-Nahda Forum,’ that was organized to instigate revolution to change Arab system of governments and install caliphate in those countries.

The charges against him included joining Brotherhood, using Rabaa Al-Adawiya (the infamous square in Cairo) as logo in his twitter account, interfering in the internal affairs of Egypt, praising the Turkish experiment of handling Brotherhood.

The man was also accused of having dubious contacts with the former emir of Qatar and the former Libyan regime, futile attempts to trigger internal rebellion in the Kingdom, supporting revolution in Arab countries, inciting sedition, organizing meetings and conferences within the Kingdom and outside to implement the agenda of Brotherhood against the state and its rulers.