Kuwait arrests political critic for 'insulting the emir'
July 8, 2021
Kuwait's government has arrested a well-known poet and political activist for "spreading fake news" about the government on Twitter, his family reported on Wednesday.
Jamal al-Sayer, who is also a businessman, was charged with "insulting the emir, spreading fake news that could harm the state's image and misusing his mobile phone."
Al-Sayer had written a series of critical tweets about the country's partly democratic political system over the past few weeks, in particular highlighting the Kuwaiti government′s refusal to be questioned by Parliament.
Why was the poet arrested?
Jamal al-Sayer, a prominent poet and political activist in the Gulf state of Kuwait tweeted on June 28: "Your highness (the emir) and your highness the crown prince, the situation has become unbearable. You have allowed the government to disrupt and violate the constitution, defying the parliament and the people's will."
On Monday evening, reports suggested three police cars cut him off in the street and took him into custody. The Gulf Center for Human Rights reported his home was searched by security agents in the middle of the night.
His nephew and lawyer, Muhannad al-Sayer, raised the alarm on Wednesday, angering parliamentarians who are trying to investigate alleged corruption.
The government and interior ministry are yet to comment on his detention.
What was the poet referring to?
Kuwait is the only Gulf state to give power to a nominally elected parliament to vote and question ministers from Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah's government, although the emir and the government he appoints still hold the final say.
This comparatively progressive version of Gulf quasi-democracy has been fraught with frequent rows between parliament and government for decades.
Cabinet reshuffles and dissolutions of parliament have kept reform on iceand been an obstacle for investment in the state liberated from Iraqi occupation in 1991.
In the latest exchanges, Parliament was trying to question Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al Khalid Al Sabah, a member of the royal family, over corruption and other issues.
How have political figures reacted?
After the arrest, a number of political, legal and cultural figures even from pro-government perspectives spoke up for al-Sayer, who is in his 70s and is revered for his nationally acclaimed poetry.
Opposition MP Abdul Aziz al-Saqabi tweeted: "We will not accept becoming a police state in which constitutional rights are violated... Following mafia and gangs' style and hacking freedoms are crimes against democracy and the rule of law."
"Kuwait is a constitutional state,'' said opposition lawmaker Khaled al-Otaibi. "We will not accept such repressive practices, the import of totalitarian states' tactics and the culture of muzzling."
jc/msh (Reuters, AP)