Kuwait sentences journalist to seven years in prison, in absentia, for insulting Qatar
A Kuwaiti court sentenced writer Fouad Al Hashem to seven years in jail after charging him with insulting the State of Qatar, reported Middle East Monitor.
Authorities filed a lawsuit against Al Hashem for ‘insulting the Emir of Qatar, his mother and father on Twitter’ in violation of the Electronic Media Act.
The sentence was issued in absentia as Hashem has been living abroad for a period of time, reported Asharq Al Awsat.
Al Hashem tweeted hours before the issuance of the ruling that he had arrived in the United Arab Emirates and enjoyed the protection of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed.
“For the first time in years I slept calmly without disturbance by a court representative to inform me of a complaint against me from (Former Qatar prime minister) Hamad Bin Jassem or others,” he said.
In September, the Kuwaiti Criminal Court ordered the arrest of Al Hashem and the editor-in-chief of a local newspaper for insulting Qatar.
Al Hashem has repeatedly called to overthrow the Qatari Emir and appoint Sheikh Abdullah Ali Al Thani, a close ally of Saudi Arabia.
The Kuwaiti Misdemeanor Court recently fined Al Hashem 3,000 dinars for insulting the Interior Ministry’s Assistant Undersecretary for Citizenship and Residency Affairs, Major General Mazen Al-Jarrah, on Twitter.
