Mohamed Abdel Qader Al-Jassem was convicted over an entry in his blog in which he accused Iranian intelligence services of meddling in Kuwait's affairs.
(RSF/IFEX) – Reporters Without Borders hails the 24 January 2011 decision by Kuwait’s supreme court to overturn lawyer and netizen Mohamed Abdel Qader Al-Jassem’s three-month jail sentence on a charge of defaming the prime minister, Sheikh Nasser Mohammad Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah. Arrested on 22 November 2010, Jassem was freed as a result of the ruling, after serving 62 days of his sentence.
Jassem was convicted over an entry in his blog ( http://www.aljasem.org ) in November 2009 in which he accused the Iranian intelligence services of using a businessman close to the prime minister to meddle in Kuwait’s affairs. The original one-year jail sentence had been reduced to three months on appeal.
Reporters Without Borders welcomes Jassem’s release but points out that he continues to be the victim of judicial harassment and is due to appear in court again on 31 January on a charge of defaming the emir and spreading false information about Kuwait. Most of the cases brought against him have been the result of complaints by the prime minister.
