Kuwaits criminal court sentenced on Sunday Kuwaiti Writer Fouad al-Hashem to seven years in prison for "insulting the State of Qatar." The sentence was issued in absentia as Hashem has been living abroad for a period of time. In September, Hashem was sentenced to one and a half months in prison in a lawsuit filed by former Qatari Foreign Minister Hamad Bin Jassim for exposing practices by Qatari authorities. Kuwaiti authorities had filed a lawsuit against Hashem for insulting the Emir of Qatar via Twitter, considering it "a crime of state security and a violation of the e-media law." Hashem, who is known for his scathing criticism, has always criticized the Qatari authorities for their support to groups accused of carrying out terrorist acts. Before the verdict was announced, Hashem, who was expecting to be sentenced to five years in prison, tweeted that he was sleeping quietly without being disturbed by the courts representative.