AFPC/USA statement on Ahmed Shihab-Eldin being detained by Kuwait
The Association of Foreign Press Correspondents in the USA condemns in the strongest terms the unwarranted detention by Kuwait of independent Kuwaiti American journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldinand demands his immediate and unconditional release. The award-winning journalist, who is a past adjunct faculty member at Columbia University, was arrested in Kuwait on March 3 during a brief visit and after apparently publishing on social media publicly available videos and images concerning the war with Iran.
According to the Committee To Protect Journalists, "It is understood Kuwaiti authorities have charged him with spreading false information, harming national security, and misusing his mobile phone — vague and overly broad accusations that are routinely used to silence independent journalists. His detention came amid military escalations during the Iran war, with Kuwaiti authorities – and other Gulf countries — imposing increasingly tight censorship over the press.”
While the Association acknowledges the need for wartime secrecy, we also believe unfounded claims of national security should never be used to curtail free speech. There are concerns that Gulf countries are worried about the erosion of internal national unity and may be using anti-terror laws to restrict publicity about attacks on their infrastructure, according to The Guardian.
It is unclear what particular social media posting has led to Shihab-Eldin’s detention, but in the days before he was detained, he had posted verified, publicly circulated images about an apparent “friendly fire” incident in which three U.S. fighter jets were shot down accidentally by Kuwaiti air defenses. The planes crashed in Kuwait on March 1, according to the U.S. military, and all six members of the three F-15E Strike Eagle fighters ejected safely.
Journalism is not a crime. The Association urges Kuwait to immediately release Shihab-Eldin and drop all charges against him. We stand with the statements by CPJ and other free press organizations, human rights groups and global leaders calling for his urgent release. We support the concerns expressed by many, including one by Connecticut Democratic Sen Chris Murphy @ChrisMurphyCT that this is “part of a larger trend of governments - including the Trump administration - trying to censor journalists reporting on the realities of this war.”
Kuwait should release him now, and the U.S. State Department should demand the release of Shihab-Eldin and all other journalists being unjustly detained by America’s wartime allies in the region.
