Kuwaiti Prime Minister Nasser AlAhmad AlSabah has filed a complaint against Ibrahim Eissa, editor of Egyptian daily Al-Dustour and Kuwaiti journalist Mohammed Alweshaihi accusing them of insult and libel. Lately, Al-Dustour had reported on the trials of Kuwaiti journalist Mohamed AlJassim, and slammed the Kuwaiti PM for being behind them, the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) has said.
In May–June 2010, Eissa published a series of articles on that issue as well as an article by the Kuwaiti Mohammed Alweshaihi on the legal pursuit of Kuwaiti journalists and the failing political performance of the PM. Alweshaihi also mentioned the incident of deporting Egyptians calling for reform and pro-Baradei from Kuwait as a manifest of the retreating freedoms in Kuwait. Through his lawyers in Cairo, the Kuwaiti PM filed a communiqué to the Egyptian prosecution accusing Eissa of insult and libel. Investigations have already started.
Ibrahim Eissa has received the Arab Journalism Award in the memory of assassination of Gibran Tueni in 2008 because of Eissa’s courage, professionalism and respect for the freedom of the press. Al-Dustour was the only Egyptian newspaper among a few Arabic papers to support the Kuwaiti journalists in the crackdown of the Kuwaiti PM against them.
ANHRI said, “The Kuwaiti Prime Minister, not only prosecuted journalists and attempted to silence their critical in Kuwait, but tried to follow the same method against the Egyptian journalist, Ibrahim Eissa, and the Kuwaiti journalist Mohammed Alwechihi as well. The journalist's stance on defence of press freedom and freedoms of his colleagues is appreciated anywhere in the world, not only in the Arab world”.
It said, “Once more, we assert that any citizen, regardless of their position and being from a ruling family or not, is a liable to criticism, and harsh criticism as long as they serve as formal and public servant. They should step down if they could not tolerate criticism instead of trying to silence journalists. Should journalists abandon their duty of seeking the truth and take on appeasing stands, they would lose credibility and be considered as retreating from serving the citizens”.
