Saudi Arabia will punish online satire with up to five years in prison and is seeking the death penalty for a prominent cleric, Daily Mail repoted.

The kingdom's public prosecutor said today satire that 'disrupts public order' would be punished, as the country cracks down on dissent.

The public prosecution tweeted late last night: 'Producing and distributing content that ridicules, mocks, provokes and disrupts public order, religious values and public morals through social media... will be considered a cybercrime punishable by a maximum of five years in prison and a fine of three million riyals ($800,000).'