Annual Prison Census 2013 - Kuwait
| Publisher | Committee to Protect Journalists |
| Publication Date | 18 December 2013 |
| Cite as | Committee to Protect Journalists, Annual Prison Census 2013 - Kuwait, 18 December 2013, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/52b83bd2b.html [accessed 5 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Journalists in prison as of December 1, 2013
Kuwait: 1
Abdul Aziz al-Baz, freelance
Imprisoned: December 31, 2012
A Kuwaiti court on February 7, 2013, sentenced al-Baz, an Egyptian blogger who lives in Kuwait, to a year in prison, deportation, and a fine of about US$200 on charges of insulting Islam in connection with his blog posts on secularism, the blogger's lawyer told CPJ.
Al-Baz's personal blog featured several entries that criticized the mixing of politics with religion and included critical posts on strict interpretations of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. The blog was no longer available in late 2013.
In its statement announcing the official charges against the blogger, the Kuwaiti Ministry of Interior highlighted one of al-Baz's posts that discussed a story by Egyptian novelist Alaa al-Aswany about patients being refused health care during prayer time.
It is not clear whether Egyptian authorities have sought al-Baz's release.
