Blogger and journalist Mohammad Abdul-Kader al-Jassem, who faces up to 18 years in prison if convicted, according to his lawyers, was detained on May 11 after a complaint against him was issued by the office of Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah.
“Kuwait, once relatively tolerant of free speech, is increasingly punishing individuals for their political views, Joe Stork, Middle East deputy director at HRW, said in a statement.
“The Kuwaiti authorities should stop persecuting Mohammad al-Jassem just for criticising Kuwait’s rulers.”
The U.S. State Department said on Thursday it had concerns about the case and had raised the matter with the Kuwaiti government.
Al-Jassem is also accused of spreading false news that could harm Kuwait’s national interests.
His trial opened on May 24 and the court banned Kuwaiti media from publishing reports about the case.
Kuwait, the world’s fourth-largest oil exporter, has the freest press among Gulf Arab states but its ruler is protected from criticism by the constitution. Many writers have been fined or imprisoned for defamation.
On his website, the blogger criticised the ruling al-Sabah family and accused Prime Minister Nasser al-Mohammad al-Sabah of mismanagement and corruption.
In April, he was sentenced to six months in prison for defaming the prime minister, but the court suspended the sentence pending an appeal. Two other cases against him are being heard in courts.
The blogger went on a hunger strike in protest against his detention but health concerns forced him to end it.
