Kuwait sentences Dashti to 10 years

Kuwait’s Court of Appeals yesterday rejected the appeal of controversial former MP Abdul Hamid Dashti’s prison sentence, instead, adding an extra 10 years to his sentence, Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Watan reported.

Dashti is known for his outspoken criticisms of the GCC monarchies. He fled the country in March.

In July, Dashti was sentenced to 11 years in prison with six months hard labour for insulting the Saudi monarchy, along with another three months for insulting the Bahraini monarchy.

In September, he was sentenced to another 14 years for his attacks against the security of the state. At this stage, he openly supported Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and encouraged Kuwaiti citizens to join Hezbollah in “jihad”.

In October, he was sentenced to an extra six years in prison with hard labour for insulting Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

This has given him an accumulated sentence of 41 years.

Dashti tried to run as a member of parliament during last month’s parliamentary elections, but after sparking a constitutional debate on whether he is allowed to submit his application through his son, a Kuwaiti court rejected his bid.