US-Kuwaiti journalist held in Kuwait over social media posts acquitted, lawyers say

US-Kuwaiti journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin acquitted in Kuwait after facing charges for reposting Iran war images on social media. | Contesto: cronaca

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• US-Kuwaiti journalist held in Kuwait over social media posts acquitted, lawyers say

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A Kuwaiti court has acquitted Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, a dual US-Kuwaiti journalist who faced criminal charges over social media posts related to the Iran war, his lawyers confirmed. The case, which drew international attention to free expression in the Gulf state, ended with the verdict clearing him of all counts, including spreading false information. Shihab-Eldin, a well-known journalist and filmmaker, was arrested in Kuwait earlier this year after he reposted images on social media concerning the Iran war. The charges against him included disseminating false news and undermining state security, accusations that his legal team argued were based on a misunderstanding of his intent. The prosecution alleged that the reposted material could stoke sectarian tensions, but the defense maintained that Shihab-Eldin was merely sharing content already in the public domain. The case highlighted the precarious position of journalists in Kuwait, which ranks relatively higher than many of its neighbors on press freedom indexes but has recently seen a crackdown on online speech. Legal experts noted that Kuwait’s cybercrime laws, often used to prosecute critics, carry penalties ranging from fines to lengthy prison sentences. Shihab-Eldin’s acquittal, however, may signal a willingness by the judiciary to distinguish between legitimate reporting and malicious intent. Background reports indicate that the charges stemmed from Shihab-Eldin’s reposting of graphic images from the Iran-Iraq war, which some interpreted as glorifying violence. His lawyers argued that he was documenting historical events, not endorsing them. The acquittal came after a brief trial, with the judge ruling that the prosecution failed to prove the posts violated Kuwaiti law. The verdict has been welcomed by press freedom advocates, who had voiced concern over the case’s potential chilling effect. “This is a victory for due process,” one of his lawyers told reporters, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter. The journalist himself has not yet commented publicly, but his family expressed relief at the outcome. As Kuwait navigates its role as a regional media hub amid growing digital...

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Categoria: cronaca