DUBAI: Human Rights Watch on Tuesday urged the Gulf state of Kuwait to stop prosecuting a prominent writer for criticizing officials and to lift a ban on media coverage.
"Kuwait should stop prosecuting Mohammad Abdulqader Al-Jassem, a journalist and blogger, for criticizing public officials," the New York-based rights watchdog said in a statement.
"Kuwait’s prosecution office should also lift its ban on media coverage of his case."
Kuwait’s criminal court on Monday extended the detention of Jassem until June 21, the date of the next hearing. He has been behind bars since May 11.
Jassem, 54, has been charged with undermining the emir’s status, attacking the regime and spreading false information that harmed Kuwait’s national interests, which carries a penalty of several years in jail.
The lawsuit against Jassem was filed by the minister of the royal court, Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad, the elder son of Kuwait’s ruler, on the basis of articles he posted on his website over the past five years.
"Kuwait, once relatively tolerant of free speech, is increasingly punishing individuals for their political views," said Joe Stork, Middle East deputy director at Human Rights Watch.
"The Kuwaiti authorities should stop persecuting Mohammad Al-Jassem just for criticizing Kuwait’s rulers," he said.
HRW said it had reviewed some of the articles for which Jassem is being tried and found that "none incite violence" but are criticisms of public officials.
Another rights group, Amnesty International, said on Saturday it had sent a letter to Kwuait’s emir to urge authorities to immediately release Jassem and drop all charges against him.
On April 1, the lower court sentenced him to six months in jail and a fine of $17,500 but suspended the jail term until the ruling of the appeals court.
Jassem also faces at least a dozen other court cases, some filed by the prime minister, alleging slander.
