The Kuwaiti daily Al Watan reported that a special unit has been set up in the Ministry of Interior to scrutinise tweets and speeches by political activists who may have targeted symbols of the state, a reference to the ruling family.
The report indicated that the move was triggered by controversial statements made on twitter by a female activist identified only as S. Dh. The authorities are reportedly in the process of substantiating statements made by her on different occasions to launch legal proceedings against her.
Kuwait has recently been rocked by an escalation in tensions between the ruling family and an opposition that has significantly stepped up its criticism of the ruling family by targeting the Emir himself, a long-held taboo in the country.
The latest crisis was sparked by the Emir’s decision to limit the number of votes a voter can cast to one, down from four. The move is seen by the opposition as one designed to manipulate the electoral process to usher in a parliament that is more favourable to the ruling family.
