Seven weeks after the arrest of Kuwaiti-American journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin by Kuwaiti authorities, the International Press Institute demands his immediate release and calls on authorities to cease the use of new national security laws to restrict the free flow of news and information.听
Shihab-Eldin, an award-winning journalist who has contributed to the New York Times, PBS, Al Jazeera, and the BBC, is believed to have been by Kuwaiti authorities on March 3 while in the country to visit family. He was reportedly last seen in public on March 2. The Kuwaiti government has his detention.
Shihab-Eldin is believed to be facing charges of spreading false information about the military and other violations of Kuwait鈥檚 , which were finalised around the time of the journalist鈥檚 arrest. The day prior to his arrest, Shihab-Eldin had shared a verified video depicting the downing of a U.S. F-15E fighter jet by the Kuwaiti military during a March 2 .听
Shihab-Eldin鈥檚 detention has been condemned by of the U.S. Congress and . The U.S. State Department it is aware of Shihab-Eldin鈥檚 detention and that the Trump administration “has no higher priority than the safety and security of Americans”.
鈥淚PI demands Kuwaiti authorities immediately release Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, and cease its weaponisation of national security laws to target the press. We are deeply concerned by Kuwaiti authorities鈥� attempts to censor coverage of the war in Iran by arresting a journalist under the guise of national security,鈥� said IPI Executive Director Scott Griffen.
Shihab-Eldin鈥檚 arrest comes as the Gulf governments have intensified crackdowns on free expression amid the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. While free speech and the work of journalists has highly restricted in the Gulf, authorities are using the latest regional conflict as a to further tighten controls over information sharing on the basis of military security.听聽
The day before Shihab-Eldin鈥檚 arrest, the Kuwaiti Minister of the Interior posted a warning citizens against photographing or publishing 鈥渃lips or information鈥� related to military infrastructure.听
Hundreds of people across the Gulf, including journalists, human rights defenders, and activists, have been since the start of the war for sharing content of Iranian attacks in the region. Meanwhile Iran鈥檚 90 million citizens remain in a information blackout as the regime continues to impose a shutdown on all internet and mobile services.