The misdemeanours court judge also ordered that Jassem pay the 1,000 dinar ($ 3,500) bond that he had refused to pay when the public prosecutor initially set bail terms 12 days ago.
Jassem, also a well-known lawyer, said after his release that he had paid the bond this time because it was a court order that he had no choice but to comply.
The journalist told the court that he was illegally detained for 12 days by the public prosecutor’s office, adding that he will file a lawsuit against the prosecutor who ordered his detention.
Jassem had maintained the charges against him were “malicious and politically motivated.”
Kuwaiti political activists have campaigned for his release, insisting that the writer committed no crime as he only criticised the prime minister over his conduct of government business.
International watchdogs Reporters Without Borders and Human Rights Watch have called for Jassem’s release.
The judge set the next hearing for December 10.
Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohamed al-Ahmed al-Sabah has been under pressure from opposition groups calling for his resignation. Next week he is to be quizzed in parliament over a $ 700,000 cheque issued to a former MP.
