Journalist Ahmed Shihab Eldin Has Finally Been Freed After Being Jailed In Kuwait For Posting About The Iran War

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Prominent American-Kuwaiti journalist Ahmed Shihab Eldin, who is of Palestinian descent, has been acquitted in Kuwait after he was detained for more than seven weeks over social media posts related to the US and Israel’s war in Iran.

Since the US and Israel began their war on Feb. 28, Gulf governments have clamped down hard on what people could say about it online.

Eldin, a 41-year-old award-winning journalist who has worked with Al Jazeera, VICE, PBS and The New York Times and has more than two million social media followers, was visiting family in Kuwait City when he was arrested, according to Drop Site News.

In his last post on March 2, before his arrest, he reshared CNN footage of a US Air Force fighter jet crashing near a US base in Kuwait in what was reported as friendly fire. The footage had already been geolocated and verified by CNN.

Shihab Eldin was arrested on March 3 and held for 52 days.

On April 23, a Kuwaiti court cleared him of all charges.

His lawyer, Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC, said he was found innocent on all counts and was expected to be released immediately.

“We are relieved that, after 52 days in detention, Ahmed has been found innocent on all charges. Our focus now is upon ensuring the liberty and safety of our client, and we will provide more details once they can be confirmed,” Gallagher said in a statement.

The Committee to Protect Journalists, which had called for his immediate and unconditional release, also confirmed the acquittal.

CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg said the organization was “relieved” Shihab Eldin had been found innocent.

“Ahmed’s freedom and safety remain our topmost priority and we will continue to closely monitor his case,” she added.

Kuwait enforced a new law on March 15 criminalizing coverage of military-related events.

The law imposes prison sentences of up to 10 years on anyone who “disseminates news, publishes statements, or spreads false rumors related to military entities” with the intent of undermining confidence in those entities.

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