Kuwaiti blogger gets 4 years in jail for offending Arab country

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 KUWAIT CITY, Nov 23: The Misdemeanor Court sentenced Kuwaiti blogger Hamid Buyabes to four-year imprisonment with hard labor for posting an offensive comment about Saudi Arabia on his Twitter account. The Public Prosecution accused the suspect of taking a hostile action against Saudi Arabia through the post without seeking official permission from the government. It regarded the post as dangerous to the national unity and capable of ruining the cordial relations between both countries. In another case, the court released Tareq Al-Mutairi who was sued by the State Security Department for attacking Saudi Arabia.

Hearing suspended: The Misdemeanor Court has suspended hearing of the lawsuit filed by State Security Department against MP Dr Abdul-Hamid Dashti for defaming the Kingdom of Bahrain until the issue of his defense team is resolved. Earlier, the court assigned Kuwait Lawyers Association to provide a lawyer to defend the former MP in court but the association has yet to assign the case to any lawyer available. According to the case file, Kuwait’s Foreign Affairs Ministry filed a petition against MP Dashti and accused him of posting offensive statements against Bahrain in a speech he made at the United Nations assembly. In another incident, the Court of Appeals nullified the verdict of the Court of First Instance that sentenced Fadhel Al-Dabous on allegations of defaming ex-MP Musallam Al-Barrak in a poem. The appellate court acquitted the suspect.

Detention extended: The sentence renewal judge ordered the continued detention of a blogger identified as Political Match 2 (Kibrit Al-Seyassi) for 10 days, alongside his two brothers over offensive statements he made against HH the Amir. He is also accused of spreading false information. A source said the Public Prosecution ordered arrest and detention of Attorney Falah Al-Hajraf and Journalist Bader Abdul-Aziz in the case involving Kibrit Al-Seyassi (Walid Fares) and his two siblings. All suspects were charged for offending the personality of the Amir and several other Kuwaiti personalities.

Expat acquitted: The Appeals Court, presided over by Judge Najeeb Al-Mulla, acquitted an expatriate of possessing hashish and other types of drugs for personal consumption and trading, in addition to driving under the influence of drugs. Lawyer for the accused, Attorney Nawaf Al-Enezi, pointed out in court the loopholes in the procedures followed when the accused was arrested. He added the search procedures are also illegal, indicating his client was not caught red-handed.

Bail denied to suspect: The Detention Renewal Court extended the detention of a citizen accused of killing an Egyptian in a fight that broke out a few weeks ago in Rihab Complex in Hawally. The court also deprived the defendant of bail. According to the case files, the Public Prosecution ordered detention of the citizen accused of intentionally killing the Egyptian for 10 days. The accused was referred to the Central Jail to wait for completion of investigations. The court had previously released three other citizens and three expatriates on bail of KD 300 each. All of the defendants were involved in the fight, after which several others citizens and expatriates were arrested for their alleged involvement.

Life term quashed: The Appeals Court, presided over by Judge Hani Al-Hamdan, overturned the verdict of the Court of First Instance which sentenced a citizen and an Egyptian to life imprisonment for smuggling hashish into the country for trafficking. The higher court then acquitted the accused. The officer in charge of the case said the accused smuggled drugs through the sea. However, Attorney Abdulmohsen Al- Qattan, lawyer for the accused, argued in court that the statements of officer in charge of the case were inconclusive and his testimony lacked merit.

By Jaber Al-Hamoud Al-Seyassah Staff

This news has been read 11848 times!

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