A Qatari poet who received a life sentence for a verse of poetry said to be insulting to Qatar 's emir will appeal his case , according to his lawyer . Najeeb Al-Naimi told CNN that his client , Muhammed ibn al-Dheeb al-Ajami , has been jailed since November 2011 . He called the sentence , which was handed down Thursday , `` a miscarriage of justice . '' According to rights group Amnesty International , which also condemned the life sentence , al-Ajami was arrested `` following the publication of his 'Jasmine Poem , ' which broadly criticized governments across the Gulf region . '' Al-Ajami 's poem , which praised Tunisia 's revolution as well as other Arab Spring uprisings , was also critical of Qatar 's ruler , Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani . `` It is deplorable that Qatar , which likes to paint itself internationally as a country that promotes freedom of expression , is indulging in what appears to be such a flagrant abuse of that right , '' Philip Luther , Amnesty 's Middle East and North Africa director , said in a statement on Thursday . Al-Naimi , who said his client was not in court when the sentence was issued , is outraged . `` Our system gives people freedom to express themselves , '' the attorney said . `` Everybody is equal and has to have their rights . This sentence blows out our constitution and infringes on our legal system . ''
Muhammed ibn al - Dheeb al - Hassan was jailed in November 2012 . His ` ` ' ' '' was critical of Persian Gulf governments . He was arrested over a passage critical of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al - Thani . Amnesty International official called the case ` ` deplorable ''