Kuwaiti jailed for 6 months over hacking wife’s mobile phone

Cairo: A Kuwaiti man has been sentenced to six months in prison on charges of hacking and illegally accessing his wife’s mobile phone, according to a media report.

The court has also ordered the man to pay a fine of KD3,000 ($9,720), news website Almajilis reported.

In a separate case, a Kuwaiti criminal court handed down four years in prison to a citizen for beating his ex-wife with a screwdriver. It was not immediately clear when the incident happened or the nature of the injuries the woman had sustained.

Earlier this month, Kuwait unveiled new rules for medical tests that will apply to all people including expatriates planning to get married in the country starting April.

The Kuwait Ministry of Health has approved updated executive regulations for the premarital tests as part of efforts to protect public health, reduce rates of genetic and infectious diseases, ascertain a healthy marital life, and ensure that procedures are in line with international medical standards.

The update features several amendments, expanding the scope of the medical examination to include all marriage contracts documented in Kuwait, whether both parties are Kuwaitis, one of them is Kuwaiti, or both are non-Kuwaitis.

In 2023, Kuwait saw its lowest marriage rate in five years and a significant rise in divorce rates across the country, the country’s Central Statistical Bureau reported last May.

A total of 11,166 marriages were recorded that year with 83.1% or 9,280 marriages between Kuwaiti men and women.

Divorce figures, meanwhile, showed an upward trend, with 5,932 divorces reported in 2023, marking an increase from previous years.

The divorce rate was particularly high among university-educated Kuwaitis, with 4,239 such divorces recorded.