Kuwait’s appeals court on Monday overturned a three-year jail term on three former opposition MPs and acquitted them from the charge of insulting the emir, a rights activist said.
In February, the lower court handed the jail terms against Falah al-Sawwagh, Bader al-Dahum and Khaled al-Tahus for making remarks at a public rally in October 2012 that were deemed offensive to Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah.
“The appeals court acquitted the three former lawmakers,” Mohammad al-Humaidi, director of Kuwait Society for Human Rights wrote on his Twitter account.
The Kuwaiti government can still challenge the acquittal before the Supreme Court whose rulings are final.
The former MPs were charged with undermining the status of the emir during an address at a public gathering on October 10 in which they warned that any amendment to the electoral law could lead to street protests.
The amendment was confirmed on June 10 by the constitutional court which also ordered the parliament elected on December 1 to be dissolved over procedural flaws.
Before and after the December polls, thousands of opposition supporters staged demonstrations to protest against the electoral law amendment which they claimed would help the government manipulate the election results. The opposition also boycotted the polls.
The acquittal verdict comes just five days ahead of Saturday’s general polls, the second in eight months, which the opposition is also boycotting.
Kuwaiti courts have given various jail terms against a number of opposition tweeters for allegedly insulting the emir. Many more are on trial on similar charges.
OPEC member Kuwait, which produces around 3.0 million barrels of oil per day, has been rocked by ongoing political disputes since mid-2006 that have stalled development despite abundant surpluses.
Source:Agence France Presse
