02/05/2026
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02/05/2026
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KUWAIT CITY, May 2: The Criminal Court, presided over by Judge Nasser Al-Bader, with Judges Omar Al-Mulaifi, Abdullah Al-Faleh and Salem Al-Zayed as members, issued its verdicts on the ‘Tweets’ cases, specifically the publication and republication of certain contents on social media in the past. The court sentenced four defendants to three years in prison with hard labor after finding them guilty of the charges. It abstained from imposing penalties on 50 defendants, obliging them to sign pledges of maintain good conduct supported by financial guarantees ranging from KD1,000 to KD3,000, while it acquitted eight defendants due to insufficient evidence.
The verdicts were announced in a public session attended by the defendants’ families under heightened security measures. The defendants faced accusations that included inciting sectarian strife, expressing sympathy with hostile entities, and spreading false news that could undermine public order. The court ordered the confiscation of the mobile phones used in committing the offenses and mandated the deletion of the tweets in question, considering it necessary to halt the circulation of the offending content.
The cases were filed after the competent authorities monitored content circulating on social media platforms, which prompted the Public Prosecution to charge the defendants with acts deemed to violate public order. It is worth mentioning that the same court previously issued rulings in similar cases, sentencing 17 defendants to three years in jail and another defendant to 10 years in prison in two separate cases. It had also abstained from punishing 109 defendants, requiring them to maintain good conduct and delete the tweets, in addition to acquitting nine defendants. In its reasoning, the court stated that the conduct in question, given the current circumstances in the country and the necessity of unified efforts and strengthened solidarity, cannot be regarded as a mere passing expression.
Rather, it constitutes a violation of national duty at a time when reinforcing national unity and protecting its foundations is of utmost importance. The court explained that nations are built through the cooperation of their citizens and their support for State institutions, particularly those operating on the front lines. It indicated that the defendants’ actions weakened these values and undermined the foundations of social cohesion.
The court added that such conduct, considering its timing and context, is likely to provoke discord and deepen divisions within society, thereby, destabilizing the established unity and cohesion of the community at a time public interest requires strengthening national unity. It stressed that invoking symbols of an entity that attacks the State of Kuwait, in a context suggesting support or sympathy during exceptional circumstances, entails disruption of social balance and violation of the principles underpinning national interests in all their forms, which justifies the criminalization of such behavior in light of its repercussions.
By Jaber Al-Hamoud Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff