Saudi Arabia threatens to execute people for 'tweeting rumours'

Saudi Arabia government has threatened to execute those who 'spread rumours' about the government on social media, including Twitter and Facebook.

According to a state-run website, Makkah Online, there are now laws and departments that censor mass media in the country, and the government has created a rule to punish people for not just tweeting, but also spreading anything deemed to be false. The worst 'rumour-mongers' will be executed, while lesser offenders will be punished with lashes, imprisonment, travel bans, house arrest and a social media ban, a Ministry of Justice source said.

It's a new law so no one has so far been arrested or executed but the government didn't say what kind of post would warrant a death sentence. The government said views spread over a period of time was bringing confusion to the country and felt it was time to curb it.

Activists say the new law is a way for the government to control a young, tech-savvy population.