Fake X Accounts Land Two in Jail for Insulting Kuwait's Amir

Arab Times

29-01-2025

Kuwait City, Jan 29: The Court of Appeal, presided over by Judge Dr. Fahd Bousleib, has upheld the rulings issued by the Criminal Court against two individuals who used fake social media accounts to insult His Highness the Amir and other Gulf leaders.
In the first case, an individual operating under the pseudonym ' Salty Cheese ' was sentenced to two years of imprisonment with hard labor for publicly challenging the rights and authority of His Highness the Amir. The court found that the accused had deliberately posted a tweet in September 2024, using the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), that contained direct insults and attacks against Amir's position.
The court ruled that the accused had 'intentionally sought to discredit and undermine the Amir's authority,' asserting that the content of the post was explicit and left no room for interpretation. Citing Article 54 of Kuwait's Constitution, which declares the Amir's position as inviolable, and Article 25 of Law No. 31 of 1970, which protects the Amir's dignity and authority, the court concluded that the tweet constituted an unlawful attack on the state's leadership. The ruling also emphasized that such offenses threaten national stability, weaken public respect for the Amir, and violate constitutional principles.
The court sentenced the accused under Article 172 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and Article 84 of the Penal Code, applying the harsher penalty applicable to the offense. Additionally, the mobile phone used to commit the crime was confiscated.
Four-Year Prison Sentence for 'Majid'
In the second case, the court upheld a four-year prison sentence for another individual, operating under the alias 'Majid', for posting tweets in August 2024 that insulted the Amir and criticized the rulers of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The court found that these posts were likely to harm diplomatic relations between Kuwait and the two Gulf nations.
The accused confessed to creating and operating the fake account solely for insulting leaders. Based on this admission, along with corroborating evidence from the investigation, the court concluded that the elements of the crime were fully established.
Under Articles 15 and 25 of Law No. 31 of 1970, Kuwaiti law stipulates that any individual who spreads false or malicious news about the internal affairs of the country or publicly challenges the Amir's authority may face imprisonment of up to five years. The court ruled that Majid's posts met these criteria and ordered a four-year sentence with hard labor, along with the confiscation of all communication devices used in committing the crime. The court also mandated the deletion and destruction of all offensive messages obtained from the accused's accounts.
These rulings reaffirm Kuwait's strict stance on offenses related to state security and public order, reinforcing legal protections for the Amir's position and diplomatic relations with allied nations.