CAIRO, Egypt: A US-Kuwaiti journalist has been arrested in Kuwait following the circulation of videos relating to the war in Iran, reported German Press Agency (dpa).
Ahmed Shihab-Eldin has not been heard from for six weeks, the Committee to Protect Journalists announced on Wednesday, an organisation that campaigns for the protection of reporters worldwide.
It is believed that the journalist is accused of spreading what the authorities characterise as fake news. He travelled to Kuwait at the beginning of March to visit his family.
Kuwaiti authorities have not commented on the case.
Shihab-Eldin has dual US-Kuwaiti citizenship and has reported for news channels including CNN, PBS and Al Jazeera, as well as the US newspaper The New York Times.
On his blog, he commented on the Iran War and also shared a video verified by CNN showing the crash of a US fighter jet in Kuwait.
Shihab-Eldin has previously been nominated for an Emmy award, and frequently reports on human rights issues.
Freedom of the press in Kuwait and the other Gulf states is severely restricted. News media are subject to strict censorship, and critical reports deviating from official government lines face severe penalties.
In recent weeks, strict instructions have been issued to the public not to circulate images of Iranian attacks, with arrests having also taken place in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates in connection with the Iran war.
A law came into force in Kuwait just a few weeks ago, providing for prison sentences of up to 10 years for those who undermine confidence in the military and other security forces through “news or false rumours”. – BERNAMA-dpa
