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  "path": "/news/1993374/kuwait-detains-journalist-amid-crackdown-on-war-coverage",
  "publishedAt": "2026-04-20T02:43:42.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.dawn.com",
  "tags": [
    "World",
    "US-Israel war on Iran.",
    "US-Israeli strikes from Feb 28",
    "313 people"
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  "textContent": "• Ahmed Shihab-Eldin charged with spreading false information, harming security\n• CPJ, UN rapporteur call for his immediate release\n\nLONDON: Kuwaiti authorities have detained US-Kuwaiti journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, who has not been seen for six weeks, a media watchdog said, during a wider crackdown by Gulf nations on people for filming or posting footage during the US-Israel war on Iran.\n\nShihab-Eldin, 41, who was visiting family in Kuwait, has not posted online or been seen in public since March 2, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said on Monday.\n\n> CPJ said he had been charged with spreading false information, harming national security and misusing his mobile phone.\n\nKuwait enacted a law on March 15, including a provision carrying prison terms of up to 10 years for spreading false rumours related to military entities with the intent of undermining confidence in them.\n\nGovernment spokespeople did not immediately respond to Reuters’ attempts to obtain comment on Shihab-Eldin’s case via email and telephone.\n\nElsewhere in the Gulf, authorities have reported hundreds of arrests of people filming sites affected by the Middle East conflict or sharing related material online.\n\nIran responded to US-Israeli strikes from Feb 28 by targeting US military and energy installations in neighbouring Gulf states.\n\nShihab-Eldin had posted before his detention on publicly available videos and images related to the war. The last posts on his Substack account include footage showing a US fighter jet crash near a US air base in Kuwait.\n\nShihab-Eldin describes himself as an independent journalist who has worked for various international media outlets, including the N _ew York Times_ , _HBO, Vice,_ _PBS, BBC_ and _Al Jazeera_. It was unclear if he was working, as well as seeing family, during his visit to Kuwait.\n\n## ‘Journalism not a crime’\n\n“We call on Kuwait to release Ahmed Shihab-Eldin and drop all charges against him,” said CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah. “Jou­r­nalism is not a crime,” she added.\n\nUN official Francesca Albanese, who is the special rapporteur for the Palestinian territories, also called for his release, praising him as a “journalist of rare strength, integrity and compassion”.\n\n_Reuters_ could not independently verify the circumstances of his detention or the reported charges.\n\nIn Kuwait, the interior ministry said on Feb 28 that the public should refrain from filming missile interceptions, sharing such footage on social media, or filming security personnel at work.\n\nIt urged residents to rely on official sources.\n\nOn March 2, state news agency _KUNA_ reported that the ministry had arrested a number of people over what it described as violations affecting public security, including filming events and circulating video clips.\n\nQatar’s interior ministry said on March 9 that 313 people of various nationalities had been arrested for filming and circulating video clips, spreading misleading information and rumours and publishing material aimed at stirring public concern.\n\nIn the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi police, in a statement on April 8, said 375 people of various nationalities had been arrested over filming locations and sharing misleading information on social media in connection with “current events”, and that the cases had been referred to prosecutors.\n\nA UAE official said that numerous local and foreign media operate there “freely” in line with local laws that include prohibitions on entering restricted areas without a permit and taking photos where not allowed.\n\n“Such measures are standard practice during periods of heightened security and are intended to ensure stability,” the official said, without giving details of arrests.\n\n_Published in Dawn, April 20th, 2026_",
  "title": "Kuwait detains journalist amid crackdown on war coverage"
}