Qatar poet's appeals trial postponed

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DOHA, Qatar, Jan. 27 (UPI) -- Qatar's Court of Appeals postponed until Feb. 25 the trial of a local poet sentenced to life, court officials said.

Gulf News said Mohammad al Ajami was sentenced in November after the court found him guilty of "inciting to overthrow the ruling system" in a poem he recited in Cairo.

The government said the action violates a local law that prohibits calls to overthrow regimes, and the sentence doesn't abuse freedom of speech.

Gulf News said the trial is getting international attention, as Qatar has become a country known for promoting positive change in the Arab and Muslim nations.

Najeeb al Nuaimi, a distinguished lawyer, is representing the poet.