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KUWAIT: Journalist and blogger Mohammed Abdulqader al-Jassem released
RAPID ACTION NETWORK
1 February 2011
Update #3 to RAN 56/10
PEN International’s Writers in Prison Committee welcomes the release of journalist and blogger Mohammed Abdulqader al-Jassem on 23 January 2011 after spending more than two months in prison. His release came after Kuwait’s Supreme Court overturned the three-month jail sentence handed down on 22 November 2010 on a charge of defaming the Prime Minister, Sheikh Nasser Mohammad Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah.
Al-Jassem faces ongoing judicial harassment, and is currently on trial in a separate case on a charge of defaming the Emir and spreading false information about Kuwait. PEN International welcomes al-Jassem’s release, and calls on the Kuwaiti government to drop all other charges against him in accordance with Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Kuwait is a party.
According to PEN’s information, a criminal court in the capital, Kuwait City, sentenced journalist Muhammad 'Abd al-Qader al-Jassem on 22 November 2010 after he was convicted of criminal defamation in a case filed against him by the Prime Minister, Shaikh Nasser al-Mohammad al-Sabah, for an article published in 2009. The sentence began immediately and Muhammad 'Abd al-Qader al-Jasem was held at Kuwait Central Prison until his release on 23 January 2011.
The case is among eighteen that the government has reportedly filed against the journalist for his writings, four of which were brought by the Prime Minister in the last year. Al-Jassem was acquitted in two out of the four cases. He was arrested most recently in May 2010 and held for several weeks for "attacking national unity" and defaming the Prime Minister in his blog. He was freed on bail on 28 June 2010. According al-Jassem’s lawyer, he faces charges varying from defamation to "instigating to overthrow the regime." A special section has been set up within the Ministry of Justice to look exclusively into the cases against al-Jassem.
Useful links
- Statement by Amnesty International (26 November 2010): http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/kuwait-urged-release-blogger-who-criticized-prime-minister-2010-11-26
- IFEX (1 December 2010): http://www.ifex.org/kuwait/2010/12/01/al_jassem_jailed/
Please send appeals:
- Welcome the release of journalist and blogger Mohammed Abdulqader al-Jassem;
- Urging the Kuwaiti government to drop all other charges against him;
- Seeking guarantees that he will be protected from further arrest as a matter of urgency, in accordance with Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Kuwait is a signatory.
Appeals to:
His Highness Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmed al-Sabah
Emir of the State of Kuwait
Al-Diwan al-Amiri
Al-Safat
Kuwait City
Kuwait.
Fax: +965 539 3069
Minister of Jusice
P.O.Box 6
Safat 13001
Kuwait
Fax: +965 243 3750
Minister of Interior
Shamiya 71655
Kuwait
Fax: +965 243 6570
If possible please send a copy of your appeal to the diplomatic representative for Kuwait in your country.
PEN International celebrates literature and promotes freedom of expression. Founded in 1921, our global community of writers now spans more than 100 countries. Our campaigns, events, publications and programmes aim to connect writers and readers wherever they are in the world. For further information please contact Cathy McCann at PEN International Writers in Prison Committee, Brownlow House, 50/51 High Holborn, London WC1V 6ER, Tel.+ 44 (0) 20 7405 0338, Fax: +44 (0) 20 7405 0339, email: cathy.mccann@internationalpen.org.uk
Source:
http://www.internationalpen.org.uk
