PA President Mahmoud Abbas. Photo: wiki commons.

Ismat Abdul-Khaleq, a Palestinian university lecturer and a single mother of two, was recently arrested in the West Bank after criticizing Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Facebook, the Washington Post reported.

Slandering high-ranking officials carries a punishment of up to two years in prison under the regulations of the Palestinian Authority government. In March, Palestinian journalist Youssef al-Shayeb was jailed because he reported on the corruption of Palestinian diplomats.