PEN International welcomes the release of journalist and blogger Mohammed Abdulqader al-Jassem on January 23, 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 November 22, 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 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.

Background Information

According to PEN’s information, a criminal court in the capital, Kuwait City, sentenced journalist Mohammed Abdulqader al-Jassem on November 22, 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 Mohammed Abdulqader al-Jassem was held at Kuwait Central Prison until his release on January 23, 2011.

The case is among 18 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 June 28, 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 charges filed against al-Jassem.

Write A Letter

  • Welcoming the release of journalist and blogger Mohammed Abdulqader al-Jassem; 
  • Urging the Kuwaiti government to drop all remaining 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.

Send Your Letter 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

His Excellency Ahmed al-Baqir
Minister of Justice
P.O.Box 6
Safat 13001
Kuwait
Fax: +965 243 3750

His Excellency Sheikh Jaber Khalid Al-Jaber Al-Sabah
Minister of Interior
Ministry of Interior
P.O. Box 12500
Shamiya 71655
Kuwait
Fax: +965 243 6570

Please also send appeals to the diplomatic representative for Kuwait in your country if possible.