Kuwaiti court acquits ex-MP Al-Nafisi of insulting the UAE

In August 2019, the ministry of foreign affairs filed a complaint against Al-Nafisi, accusing him of insulting the UAE in Twitter posts and threatening diplomatic relations.

MENA

2 min read

The New Arab Staff

05 October, 2020

Nafisi was acquitted of charges [Getty]

Kuwait's Criminal Court acquitted on Sunday former member of parliament Abdullah al-Nafisi of charges of insulting the UAE, local media reported.

"The Criminal Court issued its judgment today acquitting our client, Abdullah Al-Nafisi, of the charges against him in the case filed by the Kuwaiti Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the UAE," defence lawyer Adel Abdul Hadi said in a Twitter post.

According to local media, the ruling is the first court ruling issued in the name of the new emir, Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad, who was sworn in on Wednesday, succeeding Prince Sabah Al-Ahmad, who died on Tuesday.

Nafisi expressed his content with the ruling, adding, "Thank God, I [live] in Kuwait."

In August 2019, the ministry of foreign affairs filed a complaint against Nafisi, accusing him of insulting the UAE in Twitter posts and threatening diplomatic relations between Kuwait and Abu Dhabi.

One of Nafisi’s offending 2017 tweets read: "Mohammed Dahlan rules the UAE. And Israel rules Muhammad Dahlan. Something to think about," referring to an exiled politician who has been linked to the recent controversial normalisation agreement between Israel and the UAE.

At the time, many took to social media to defend Nafisi’s right to free speech and called for a revision of the law on which a case was made against him as it conflicts with freedom of expression.

In January, Nafisi had expressed readiness to appear before court and defend himself.

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