Kuwait

The acquittal of five Kuwaiti online activists charged with “offending the emir” could help ensure that Kuwaitis can freely express critical political opinions, Human Rights Watch said. Muhammad al-Ajmi, Faris al-Balhan, Abdul-Aziz al-Mutairi, Fahd al-Jufaira and Rashid Al-Enzi were acquitted by the criminal court on February 13, 2013.

Three former members of Kuwait’s parliament have been convicted and sentenced to three years in prison for “offending the emir” after they spoke at a gathering in the hosue of a former member of parliament on 10 October 2013.

Apart from their geography and shared culture, what Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain have in common is aging authoritarian leadership coupled with a young, Internet-savvy populace: an obvious recipe for tension.

Kuwait’s reputation for respecting freedom of expression has been dwindling in the face of a recent surge in arrests of bloggers, activists, and media professionals. Blogger Gamal El-Dawi has been sentenced to two years in prison for tweeting.

Online journalist Ayyad al-Harbi was sentenced to two years in jail for insulting the Kuwaiti ruling family on social media.

Peaceful protests surrounding participation in Kuwait’s political process have witnessed excessive violence by security forces since October 2012.

Kuwaiti detainees imprisoned during protests in October have been released.

Kuwait’s Interior Ministry announced the implementation of a ban on unlicensed assemblies of more than 20 people in public areas.

Several protesters were arrested and others injured, following an assault by Kuwaiti forces on an anti-government protest.

Police used force to suppress a peaceful demonstration organised by stateless activists demanding Kuwaiti citizenship and arrested several protesters.

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information condemns the shutting down of a Kuwaiti TV channel, El-Nahg, 24 hours after its launch. On Monday, 24 September, the Ministry of Information stopped El-Nahg from broadcasting. The channel is affiliated with the dissolved, opposition-dominated parliament.

Blogger Abdulaziz Bou-Hamid was arrested after a report was filed against him by a police officer, accusing him of slander and libel.

Several representatives of human rights organisations and some journalists were banned from joining the demonstration, while protesters were attacked with tear gas, and sound and water cannons.

Hamad al-Naqi was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment for allegedly insulting the prophet Muhammad, the divine being and the rulers of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

Lawrence al-Rashidi was found guilty of “insulting the Prince and his powers in poems uploaded on YouTube.”

Scope TV was ordered to pay approximately 1,360,000 euros to the former information minister Sheikh Faisal Al-Malek Al-Sabah, a member of the ruling family, for having broadcast a programme last October that the court deemed offensive to the royal family.