Saudi journalist deported for controversial tweet

Police have confirmed to the BBC that Saudi journalist Hamza Kashgari has been deported from Malaysia. He has been accused of insulting the Prophet Muhammad in a tweet.

Kashgari will be sent back to Saudi Arabia despite protests from human rights groups. His tweet last week prompted over 30,000 responses, including complaints and several death threats. This coincides with a Twitter trial in the UK, in which a man is appealing to the High Court to overturn a conviction he received because of a joke he tweeted about threatening to blow up Robin Hood airport in Doncaster.

Kashgari, 23, chose the prophet's birthday for his tweet, and was promptly called blasphemous by Saudi clerics. He fled Saudi Arabia and was detained when he arrived in Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.

Amnesty International has warned that Kashgari could face execution if found guilty of apostasy. "If the Malaysian authorities hand over Hamza Kashgari to Saudi Arabia, they could end up complicit in any violations he suffers," said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui from Amnesty International's Middle East division.

Kashgari apologised and deleted the tweet. His lawyer obtained an injunction on Sunday to allow him to stay in Malaysia until the case was heard, but it was too late, according to a BBC correspondent.

In the UK, comedians including Stephen Fry and Al Murray have come out in support of Paul Chambers, who 'threatened' to blow up Robin Hood Airport in a tweet. Stephen Fry claimed judges "don't understand Twitter," while Murray describes the case as a "Monty Python-does-Kafka brainfart."

Frustrated by snow delaying his flight, Chambers tweeted that he was going to blow the airport "sky high" in 2010.

It's a controversial issue, but the message is clear: be careful what you tweet. Let us know your thoughts on the matter below in the comments, or over on our Facebook page.