Kuwaiti university student sentenced to three years in prison for insulting Emir on X

Dubai: A university student in Kuwait has been sentenced to three years in prison with hard labour after the country’s top court upheld her conviction for insulting the Emir and inciting the overthrow of the regime through posts made on the social media platform X.

The Court of Cassation on Monday affirmed earlier rulings by the Criminal Court and the Court of Appeal, which found the student guilty of publishing politically sensitive content using a fake account.

Prosecutors argued that the student had posted a series of articles and comments deemed offensive to the Emir and critical of Kuwait’s political system.

Authorities described the content as a clear violation of national laws protecting the dignity of the head of state and preserving public order.

During the trial, the student denied all charges, claiming that her account had been compromised by an expatriate residing outside the country.

She told the court that the individual had threatened her and warned her against removing the posts published under her name.

Despite her defense, the court found her responsible for the account and the content shared through it, citing digital evidence presented by prosecutors.

 -- Huda Ata is an independent writer based in the UAE