Man in Kuwait sentenced to four years in jail for insulting emir

A man in Kuwait has been sentenced to four years in jail for calling for the overthrow of the Gulf state's ruler on social media, local media reported.

The Twitter user was sentenced to prison with hard labour and fined 1,000 Kuwaiti dinars ($3,301) for defaming the country's emir, Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmed al-Sabah. He was also charged with sedition and possessing a weapon.

No further information was given, and it was not clear whether the man is a Kuwaiti national.

While Kuwait is considered to be relatively free compared to its Gulf neighbours, insulting the monarchy is criminalised. Others have been detained for insulting the emir on social media.

In April this year, the Gulf state of just over four million ended pretrial jail time for those arrested for voicing their opinions.

Legal experts said the amendments will not protect freedom of speech, as the accused will only be free during the investigation stage and if convicted, could still be jailed.