9. Saudi Arabia
The Arab Spring was a wake-up call for many of the Middle East regimes, and Saudi Arabia was one of those who took the warnings seriously. The new laws were passed, allowing courts to hear testimonies against defendants without them or their lawyers present. The General Commission for Audiovisual Media heavily monitors all Internet traffic, a lesson learned from the Egypt’s Tahrir Square protests. Saudi Arabian government didn’t stop at just domestic censorship. It used its influence in Gulf Cooperation Council to force other Gulf states into passing legislation making it illegal for its citizens to criticize other member states’ governments. A simple post on Twitter censors deem inappropriate can land a person in jail, as it was the case with three prominent lawyers who criticized Ministry of Justice in 2014 and got 6 to 8 years in prison.
