GULFNEWS
Kuwait: Kuwait deported a German national who said he was a journalist covering protests in the Gulf Arab nation but lacked the required press accreditation, a Kuwaiti security source said.
Non-accredited foreign journalists are suspect as only
citizens have the right to protest
- Reuters
Kuwait: Kuwait deported a German national who said he was a journalist covering protests in the Gulf Arab nation but lacked the required press accreditation, a Kuwaiti security source said.
All journalists working in Kuwait need to be registered with the Information
Ministry and non-accredited foreigners who attend demonstrations are regarded as
suspect because only citizens of the country have the right to protest.
But it is relatively rare for a Western visitor to be expelled. The small,
oil-rich country has a freer press than its Gulf neighbours and allows a greater
level of dissent.
“He was deported from Kuwait,” said the security source, without giving the
man’s name.
The source said the man had told police he was a journalist but could not produce a press permit when detained earlier this month after attending at least one protest.
Germany’s Foreign Ministry said on Sunday it was aware of the case. “The
German Embassy was in contact with the Kuwaiti authorities and also provided
consular assistance to the man involved,” a spokeswoman said, without giving
further details.
Kuwait’s Information Ministry was not immediately available for comment.
Kuwait has been rocked by a series of demonstrations since October after
ruling emir Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah used emergency powers to change
voting rules ahead of a parliamentary election which took place on December
1.
Kuwaiti journalists say they have been practising self-censorship on
sensitive subjects for years but — unlike their counterparts in other Gulf
countries — they are able to write articles that criticise government policy and
ruling family members apart from the emir.
