By BARBARA SURK
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A state security court in Abu Dhabi has sentenced five activists to prison terms for joining calls for greater political openness in the United Arab Emirates.
The trial has been denounced by rights groups and others, who say UAE authorities are using heavy-handed tactics to crush dissent after the Arab Spring uprisings elsewhere in the region.

The court Sunday sentenced one prominent blogger, Ahmed Mansour, to three years in prison. The others received two-year jail terms. There is no appeal.
They were arrested in April after signing an online petition demanding political reforms, including a parliament selected by open elections. The five defendants have reportedly been on hunger strike and did not attend the sentencing.