The Committee to Protect Journalists is urging for the immediate release of Kuwaiti American journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin following his detention in Kuwait due to social media content amid escalating military tensions during the Iran conflict.
Shihab-Eldin, who was in Kuwait visiting family, was taken into custody by local authorities after the outbreak of the Iran war on February 28. Charges against him include spreading false information, posing a threat to national security, and misusing his cellphone, which are commonly used to silence independent journalists, as stated by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
CPJ’s regional director, Sara Qudah, emphasized that journalism is not a criminal offense and called for Shihab-Eldin’s release, highlighting the pattern of using national security laws to suppress scrutiny and control the narrative.
Despite efforts to reach out to the Kuwaiti Embassy in Washington, D.C., there has been no immediate response. Shihab-Eldin’s detention was reportedly linked to his commentary on publicly available videos and images related to the Iran conflict, including a verified video showing a U.S. fighter jet crash near a Kuwaiti air base.
Various social media platforms associated with Shihab-Eldin have been inactive since April 14, indicating restricted access. Ashish Prashar, a political strategist based in New York, strongly condemned the journalist’s arrest, emphasizing that imprisoning journalists arbitrarily under the guise of endangering national security is a severe misstep.
Countries in the Middle East have implemented strict military censorship rules to prevent the dissemination of information that could aid enemy combatants. CPJ has documented numerous press freedom violations in the region since the onset of the Iran conflict, including journalist arrests, media infrastructure damage, and extensive coverage restrictions.
The organization reported that a total of nine journalists have been killed, while 11 have been detained or questioned across the wider region. Additionally, airstrikes have damaged nine media outlets, and 16 journalists have faced targeting, assault, threats, or harassment. Moreover, censorship measures, such as a nationwide internet blackout in Iran, have been imposed during the conflict.
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