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A Kuwaiti-American journalist, who had been detained in Kuwait, has been acquitted, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, who has previously worked for PBS, HuffPost, the New York Times, the BBC and Al Jazeera, was arrested on 3 March during a brief visit to Kuwait.
Earlier this month, the CPJ said it understood authorities had charged him with “spreading false information, harming national security and misusing his mobile phone”.
The CPJ said that his posts prior to the arrest had included a “a geolocated video, verified by CNN, showing a US fighter jet crash near a US airbase in Kuwait”.
In a statement on Thursday, Jodie Ginsberg, the organisation’s chief executive, said: “We are relieved that Ahmed Shihab-Eldin has been found innocent after 52 days in detention.” She added: “Ahmed’s freedom and safety remain our topmost priority and we will continue to closely monitor his case.”
In a statement online, Ginsberg also added that “full details are still being ascertained but his international legal team confirms that he has been found innocent of the charges and he is expected to be released imminently”.
Lawyers for Shihab-Eldin’s sisters also shared a press release on Thursday saying that he had been acquitted. “We are relieved that, after 52 days in detention, Ahmed has been found innocent on all charges,” they said. “Our focus now is upon ensuring the liberty and safety of our client, and we will provide more details once they can be confirmed.”
The office of Caoilfhionn Gallagher, a lawyer representing two of the journalist’s sisters, said he was expected to be released “imminently”.
Shihab-Eldin’s arrest came as Kuwait recently passed new security laws, including a measure defining terrorism as spreading terror among the people by endangering the safety of and security of society.
A new law also proposes significant fines and sentences on anyone that “publishes statements or spreads false rumours in relation to military entities with the intent to weaken confidence in these entities, diminishing their prestige, casting doubt on their existence or undermining their morale”.
Hundreds of people have been arrested across the Gulf for sharing images of attacks and the resulting damage. The strikes occurred almost daily from the start of the Middle East conflict on 28 February until a ceasefire came into effect on 8 April.
AFP contributed to this report
