Kuwaiti court acquits detained U.S. Kuwaiti journalist of all charges, lawyers say

A Kuwaiti American journalist has been not guilty in capital of kuwait of all charges after nearly ii months in hold during a crackdown on press out freedom and social media posts on military activity amid Iran's retaliatory attacks in its war with the United States and Israel.

Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, an award-winning journalist who has contributed to The New York Times, PBS and Al Jazeera English, was arrested on March 3 while visiting family in Kuwait, according to a legal team speaking on behalf of his sisters.

In a statement on Thursday, lawyers said Shihab-Eldin was found innocent of all charges against him and was expected to be released "imminently."

"Our focus now is upon ensuring the liberty and safety of our client," the statement reads, adding that they will provide more details once confirmed.

Shihab-Eldin was detained by local authorities at the time, and charged with spreading false information, harming national security and misusing his cellphone.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), who was calling for his release, welcomed the decision.

“We are relieved that Ahmed Shihab-Eldin has been found innocent after 52 days in detention,” said CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg.

“Ahmed’s freedom and safety remain our topmost priority and we will continue to closely monitor his case.”

The arrest of Shihab-Eldin, who has not posted online since March 2, came amid a widening crackdown on press freedom and social media posts on military activity documented across the Persian Gulf states and Israel.

The war in Iran broke out on Feb. 28, pulling in other countries in the region. Tehran retaliated with attacks on countries across the Middle East, as well as U.S. Military bases.

The CPJ described the charges against Shihab-Eldin as "vague and overly broad accusations that are routinely used to silence independent journalists."  

How military censorship is changing the view of the Middle East war

It is not clear which posts led to his detention, but the CPJ says prior to his arrest, Shihab-Eldin commented on publicly available videos and images related to the Iran war. His recent posts included a geolocated video, verified by CNN, showing a U.S. Fighter jet crash near a U.S. Air base in Kuwait. 

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) also called for his immediate release at the time, describing a newly adopted law as a tool to "silence critical journalism, restrict the sharing of information in the public interest and enable censorship."

On March 15, Kuwait adopted a new law "aimed at 'securing and protecting the supreme interests of military authorities," which included heavy jail terms and fines.

The new law states that anyone who intentionally disseminates news, publishes statements or promotes false rumours related to military authorities that would "weaken confidence in these authorities, diminish their prestige, cast doubt on their existence or weaken their morale" to a minimum of three years in prison and a minimum fine of 5,000 dinars, or $22,000 Cdn.

"Journalism is not a threat. Documenting the war is in the public interest.  A world in which journalists are targeted is not a free world. The public has the right to know what is happening in the Middle East, and it is wrong for journalists to pay the price for this," IFJ general secretary Anthony Bellanger said in a news release on April 18.

Countries in the Middle East have strict military censorship rules, aimed largely at preventing the release of information that could help enemy combatants. Shortly after the war broke out, Kuwait’s Ministry of the Interior warned against filming or publishing videos or information related to Iranian attacks, noting that several people were arrested for spreading false news.

Senior Writer

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