Kuwait jails Shia MP for insulting monarchy, Saudi

A Kuwaiti court sentenced Shia Member of Parliament Abdulhameed Dashti to an 11-year jail term in absentia for insulting the Emir and Saudi Arabia.

In July, he was also convicted of calling on people to join Lebanon’s Hezbollah and endangering diplomatic ties between Kuwait, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

Dashti is an outspoken supporter of Iran and Hezbollah and has spoken against official Kuwaiti foreign policy in support of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad.

He condemned the 2011 Saudi military intervention in Bahrain and referred to it as an “invasion”.

In Kuwait, criticism of Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah can result in legal charges. Over the past few years, dozens of opposition activists have been jailed for voicing their disapproval.

The next ruling against Dashti is scheduled for 10 October.