Press Group Urges Kuwait To Free Detained Kuwaiti-American Journalist
The Committee to Protect Journalists called on Kuwait to free Kuwaiti-American reporter Ahmed Shihab-Eldin after his detention in Kuwait. The CPJ demanded his release, saying detaining a journalist who holds US citizenship raises serious free-press and due-process concerns. Fox News reported the CPJ statement but did not detail the reasons for the detention or any formal charges.
CPJ is a New York-based press freedom group that regularly campaigns for detained journalists worldwide. Rights organizations have long criticized Kuwait for restrictive media laws and occasional harassment of critics, a pattern that human-rights monitors say undermines open reporting. The CPJ appeal joins similar calls from other advocacy groups and could increase diplomatic pressure on Kuwaiti authorities to clarify the detention and allow legal access.
đ Key Facts
- CPJ believes Kuwaiti-American journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin was arrested in Kuwait around March 3 and has been held incommunicado since.
- He is reportedly accused of spreading false information, harming national security, and misusing his mobile phone under new Kuwaiti security and misinformation laws.
- His detention followed his posting of video of a U.S. fighter jet crash near a U.S. base in Kuwait, though authorities have not confirmed that as the formal basis for charges.
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