State Security Appeals Court: Citizen Sentenced to 3 Years, Another Referred for Psychiatric Evaluation
Kuwait's State Security Appeals Court sentenced a citizen to three years in prison and referred another to psychiatric care for cases involving insult to state symbols.
Translated by Qiyas from السياسة — Original source
The State Security Department at the Court of Appeal, chaired by Advisor Abdullah Al-Sanea and comprising Advisors Meshal Al-Mutawa and Saud Al-Mutairi, issued rulings and decisions in several cases related to appeals concerning the rights of His Highness the Amir, insults to state symbols, and money laundering.
The department sentenced a Kuwaiti national to three years in prison after convicting him of publicly appealing against the rights of His Highness the Amir, showing disrespect for the institution of the emirate, insulting the rulers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, and inciting sectarian strife. These actions were carried out by expressing sympathy for and endorsing Iran’s unjust aggression against the country.
The ruling followed investigations conducted by the State Security Agency, which monitored posts on the defendant’s Instagram account. These posts included images of Iran’s unjust attacks and the targeting of a Kuwaiti oil facility, actions likely to cause public alarm. They also featured another image insulting a state symbol, the country’s ruler, the rulers and symbols of GCC states, and leaders of sister nations.
The posts also contained expressions of gratitude and support for the shelling of U.S. military bases in Kuwait and other Gulf states, prompting the Public Prosecution to bring the charges in the case against him.
In another case, the department annulled a three-year prison sentence imposed on a Kuwaiti national accused of insulting the emir’s person. It ordered his referral to psychiatric care for treatment after specialized medical examinations confirmed that he suffered from mental illnesses that deprived him of responsibility for his actions.
The department also decided to refer another defendant to psychiatry to assess his mental capacity and determine his responsibility for the alleged acts.
The court also reserved judgment in several other cases, including those involving money laundering, with rulings to be issued next month.
