RIYADH — Three Saudi men have been charged over comments they made on Twitter, Saudi newspaper al-Eqtisadiah reported Tuesday, quoting sources from the censorship and investigation committee.

The three have been accused of sedition, incitement and breaching obedience to the king, according to the newspaper.

The men were the first to be charged under the terms of a February royal decree, which set out prison sentences for anybody who went abroad to fight with extremist groups or incited others to do so.

Human Rights Watch last month denounced the U.S.-backed monarchy for issuing a series of laws and decrees aimed at clamping down on dissent and extremism.

One of the decrees makes it a crime to “call for atheist thought in any form or call into question the fundamentals of the Islamic religion” on which Saudi Arabia is based.

The three young men were detained in recent days for posting online films complaining about living standards and attacking the ruling family, said an activist who spoke with members of their families.

The men, all members of renowned Saudi tribes, each displayed their identity cards to the camera after accusing the government of failing to provide adequate services and allowing corruption and a growing wealth gap between rich and poor.

The first video appeared on YouTube last week, accredited to Abdulaziz Mohammed al-Dossari. He used it to complain about his salary.

“It’s not enough,” he said. “Then you blame the ones who blow things up.”