A dual-citizen American journalist who spent nearly two months in Kuwaiti detention has been freed and has departed the Middle Eastern nation, according to U.S. State Department officials.
Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, 41, was cleared of all charges by a Kuwaiti court and has safely left Kuwait, a State Department representative confirmed Friday.
The journalist had been held since early March after Kuwaiti officials arrested him during a broader government crackdown on individuals sharing content about the recent Iran conflict on social media platforms.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, a New York-based media advocacy organization, Shihab-Eldin was last seen publicly on March 2nd. He was taken into custody the following day while visiting relatives in Kuwait.
Kuwaiti authorities charged him with disseminating false information, threatening national security, and improperly using his cellular device, the CPJ reported.
The media watchdog organization announced Thursday that a Kuwaiti court had dismissed all accusations against Shihab-Eldin, based on information from attorneys representing his sisters. The CPJ expressed approval of the court’s decision to acquit him.
Throughout his detention, various press freedom organizations and human rights groups had urged Kuwait to drop the charges and release the journalist.
“We can confirm that American journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin has safely departed Kuwait. While in detention, the State Department was in contact with Mr. Shihab-Eldin and provided consular assistance,” the State Department official said.
The official declined to provide additional details, citing privacy concerns and other factors. Kuwait’s Washington embassy did not respond immediately to requests for comment.
On March 15th, Kuwait implemented new legislation that includes penalties of up to a decade in prison for circulating false information about military organizations with the goal of damaging public confidence in them.
Prior to his arrest, Shihab-Eldin had shared videos and photographs on social media platforms concerning the regional conflict, including material depicting a U.S. military aircraft crash within Kuwait.
Shihab-Eldin identifies himself as an independent journalist with experience at major international news organizations including the New York Times, HBO, Vice, PBS, BBC and Al Jazeera.
The conflict began when the U.S. and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28th. Iran retaliated with its own attacks on Israel and Gulf nations hosting American military installations. The ongoing U.S.-Israeli operations against Iran and Israeli military actions in Lebanon have resulted in thousands of casualties and displaced millions of people.
A tentative ceasefire in the Iran conflict took effect more than two weeks ago.
Kuwait’s Interior Ministry issued a public warning on February 28th advising citizens against recording missile defense activities, posting such material on social media, or filming security forces during operations, encouraging people to depend on official information sources instead.
