Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, a journalist known for his past work at VICE, HuffPost, Al Jazeera and other outlets, is apparently behind bars in Kuwait, six weeks after posting a video of a US Air Force fighter jet crash west of Kuwait City.
Shihab-Eldin’s friends and allies went public about his case on Tuesday, hoping publicity would help win his release.
The Committee to Protect Journalists said “it is understood that authorities have charged him with spreading false information, harming national security, and misusing his mobile phone – vague and overly broad accusations that are routinely used to silence independent journalists.”
Since the Iran war began, Kuwait and other Gulf states have cracked down on individuals posting videos of Iranian missile strikes and other sensitive subject matter.
The Gulf Centre for Human Rights said in an early April report that the war “is being used as a pretext to stifle free speech, confiscate citizens’ public freedoms, and target journalists, bloggers, and online activists who express opinions that do not align with government policies.”
“These individuals are subjected to arbitrary imprisonment and detention, and unfair trials on fabricated charges using counterterrorism and cybercrime laws,” the group said.
Shihab-Eldin, who is Kuwaiti-American, was visiting family in Kuwait in early March when he was apparently detained.
CNN has reached out to the Kuwait government for comment.
Source: CNN
-- Agencies
