KUWAIT CITY -- A Kuwaiti parliamentary committee approved on Saturday a new draft press law that if passed would end nearly three decades of a government freeze on new licenses for daily newspapers.
The reformist bill also bans the closure of newspapers without a final court verdict and allows citizens whose applications for licenses are rejected to sue the government in court, said MP Faisal Al Muslim, who heads the committee on education.
The draft law, which is expected to be debated in parliament on December 26, bans jailing journalists for all but religious offenses, for which jail terms have also been reduced.
It also bans the arrest and detention of journalists, writers and intellectuals until a final verdict is delivered by the supreme court.
The government, whose 16 ministers have the right to vote in the 50-seat parliament, has agreed to most of the changes, an indication that the bill is highly expected to be approved.
Kuwait has five Arabic and two English-language dailies, but dozens of weekly magazines are also published.
Among Gulf Arab states, Kuwait enjoys a relatively free press that often strongly criticizes the authorities.
