A Kuwaiti appeals court sentenced 68 Kuwaiti opposition activists on Monday, including eight former MPs and two current deputies. They received jail terms ranging from 1 to 5 years for storming the National Assembly building; two defendants were acquitted.

The incident happened on 16 November 2011 when the activists stormed the National Assembly building demanding the dismissal of then Prime Minister, Shaikh Nasser Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, on charges of corruption.

In December 2013, the Kuwaiti Criminal Court acquitted all defendants in the case, but the prosecution appealed against the decision.

“The defendants can appeal against the [latest] ruling before the Kuwaiti Court of Cassation,” reported Anadolu news agency, citing unnamed judicial sources.

The charges against the activists included inciting police officers to revolt and assaulting police officers. Jamaan Al-Harbash MP, who was sentenced to five years in prison, said on Twitter after the sentence that he prefers to be in prison rather than be a “traitor to the nation.”

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