Human Rights Watch (HRW) has condemned Kuwait’s detention of Kuwaiti‑American journalist Ahmed Shihab‑Eldin, saying, in a statement Thursday, that the case represents a wartime crackdown on free expression under a new national security law and calling for his immediate and unconditional release.
Earlier, on April 13, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) had already urged Kuwaiti authorities to disclose his whereabouts and secure his release.
According to HRW and CPJ, Shihab‑Eldin is believed to be facing accusations including disseminating “false information” and “misusing telecommunications” under Decree No. 13 of 2026, which was enacted on 15 March, during the first weeks of the US‑Israeli war against Iran. The law imposes prison sentences of up to 10 years on anyone who “disseminates news” or “spreads false rumors” about military entities in a way deemed harmful to public confidence.
HRW stated that Shihab‑Eldin’s “detention is emblematic of the tightening space for free expression in Kuwait,” pointing to what the organization described as the increasing use of broadly framed national security laws to silence journalists and critics. Both HRW and CPJ situate the case within a wider pattern of restrictions introduced across the Gulf during the current Iran war, as governments rush to shield their military roles from public scrutiny.
Shihab‑Eldin has not been seen since 2 March, when, according to CPJ and media reports, he was detained by Kuwaiti authorities while visiting relatives in the country. His family and friends say they have been unable to contact him since his detention, and that his social media accounts were deactivated shortly afterwards.
In the weeks before his arrest, Shihab‑Eldin had reshared a video showing Kuwaiti “friendly fire” striking a US Air Force fighter jet over the Gulf country during the Iran conflict, along with other content that authorities may have deemed in violation of national security restrictions. CPJ says Kuwaiti authorities are holding him in connection with those posts.
Over a month after his disappearance, Shihab‑Eldin’s family and friends went public with their concerns, calling for international attention and pressure to secure his release.
Shihab‑Eldin is a prominent journalist with a substantial social media following and a career that includes work with major outlets such as Vice, Al Jazeera, and the BBC.
In addition to HRW and CPJ, several advocacy organizations have condemned his arrest. Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) called on the US government to formally designate Shihab‑Eldin as wrongfully detained.
“Just as the Trump administration zealously campaigned for the release of unlawfully detained Americans across the globe, they should designate Ahmed Shihab-Eldin as wrongfully detained under U.S. law and use all their leverage to press Kuwait to release Ahmed Shihab-Eldin,” DAWN’s advocacy director Raed Jarrar said in a statement.
The American government’s inaction in Shihab‑Eldin’s case raises broader questions about Washington’s priorities in advocating for detained citizens abroad, particularly when key security partners in the Gulf are involved.
With no official charges publicly confirmed, no access to a lawyer reported, and no communication from Shihab‑Eldin since early March, key details surrounding his detention remain unclear.
