US EditionKuwaiti U.S. journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin detained in Kuwait after social media posts
CPJ says vague national security charges and a 10-year prison provision are being used to silence scrutiny of the Iran war.
- On Tuesday, the Committee to Protect Journalists called on Kuwaiti authorities to immediately and unconditionally release American-Kuwaiti journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, whose detention reflects a pattern of using national security laws to stifle independent reporting.
- Authorities arrested Shihab-Eldin on March 3 in Kuwait City after he shared publicly available footage of a U.S. fighter jet crashing near an air base, drawing accusations of spreading false information and harming national security.
- Charges include "spreading false information, harming national security, and misusing his mobile phone," which the CPJ describes as "vague and overly broad" accusations routinely used to silence independent journalists.
- UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese called him a journalist of "rare strength," while strategist Ashish Prashar condemned the detention as an "endorsement of authoritarian practices."
- His detention occurs amid a regional crackdown on press freedom as Gulf countries impose strict censorship during the Iran war, with 11 journalists reported detained across the wider region since the conflict began.
34 Articles
34 Articles
Kuwait arrests US-born journalist in social media crackdown over war damage
Kuwait has arrested journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin in an aggressive social media crackdown. The Gulf state accuses Shihab-Eldin of publicising damage to infrastructure caused by Iranian retaliation to the unprovoked and illegal US-Israeli war. Prominent Journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin Has Been in Jail for Six Weeks in Kuwait, Faces Trial in Special Tribunalhttps://t.co/6u8QeUpMUU — jeremy scahill (@jeremyscahill) April 14, 2026 Kuwait crackdown Dr…
By Brian Stelter, CNN - Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, a Kuwaiti-American journalist known for his work at VICE, HuffPost, and Al Jazeera, has been detained in Kuwait, according to press freedom advocates, after sharing videos related to the Iran-Iraq War. The detention comes as Kuwait and other Gulf states have intensified their crackdown on those who publish images of Iranian missile attacks and other topics deemed sensitive. Citizen watchdog organizatio…
Journalist detained in Kuwait after posting Iran war video, advocates say
By Brian Stelter, CNN (CNN) — Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, a Kuwaiti-American journalist known for his work at VICE, HuffPost and Al Jazeera, has been detained in Kuwait, according to press freedom advocates, after sharing videos related to the Iran war. The arrest comes as Kuwait and other Gulf states have cracked down on individuals for posting imagery of Iranian missile strikes and other subject matter deemed sensitive. Watchdog groups have decried th…
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