The UAE courts sentenced two Emirati men to five years in prison and $135,000 in fines for statements they made on Twitter criticizing the state security services, according to observers.

The convictions are the latest move in a widespread crackdown on dissenting speech in the United Arab Emirates. Last year, 69 Emiratis were convicted of attempting to overthrow the government, but critics said most of the defendants were merely guilty of speaking out against the government and calling for reform. Other Emiratis were charged with tweeting “false news” about the sedition trial or otherwise violating a cybercrime law that makes it a crime to disparage the country via Twitter.

The two men — Khalifa Rabeiah, a 35-year-old businessman from Fujairah, and Othman al-Shehhi, a 40-year-old phone company engineer from Ras al-Khaimah — were convicted on March 10. The Emirates Center for Human Rights (ECHR) said the trial lacked due process and noted that allegations of torture while in custody had not been investigated.

The local press has not covered their arrest or trial.