Kuwaiti woman jailed for three years over Instagram post
Court overturned an earlier ruling that had spared the defendant punishment
Dubai: A Kuwaiti woman has been sentenced to three years in prison with immediate effect after an appeals court overturned an earlier ruling that had spared her punishment in a case linked to national security and sectarian incitement, according to local media reports.
The State Security Circuit of Kuwait's Court of Appeal ordered the prison term after finding the defendant guilty of publishing content on social media that authorities said promoted sectarian division and expressed sympathy for a hostile state during a period of conflict involving Kuwait.
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The case centred on a post published through the woman's personal Instagram account. Prosecutors argued that the content undermined national unity and threatened social cohesion during a sensitive period for the country.
The ruling marked a significant reversal from an earlier judgment in which the court had found the defendant guilty but refrained from imposing a custodial sentence.
In the same case, however, the appeals court reached a different conclusion regarding another Kuwaiti defendant facing similar accusations.
The court overturned a previous ruling that had suspended punishment and instead acquitted the man of all charges, finding insufficient grounds to establish criminal liability. The acquittal followed legal arguments presented by his defence team challenging the prosecution's case and the evidence supporting the allegations.
The proceedings also involved two additional defendants, a Kuwaiti woman and a Kuwaiti man, whose convictions were upheld. The court maintained earlier rulings refraining from punishment after determining that both had published online content containing messages interpreted as sympathetic or capable of fuelling sectarian tensions.
