Kuwait Sentences Opposition Politician Mussallam Al Barrak to Two Years in Jail for “Insulting Ruler” · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Kuwaiti opposition leader Mussalam Al Barrak was sentenced to two years in jail for insulting the country's ruler. Photograph shared by @AlziadiQ8 on Twitter.
Kuwait sentenced leading opposition politician Mussallam Al Barrak to two years in jail for “insulting the country's ruler.” The former member of the Kuwaiti National Assembly (parliament) is charged for a speech he gave in October 2012, in which he threatened to depose the Amir of Kuwait Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Jaber Al Sabah, telling him that the people of Kuwait would not allow him to practice “autocratic rule.”
He was arrested on October 29, and released on bail four days later pending trial. In April 2013, he was sentenced to five years in prison, and a Kuwaiti appeals court reduced the sentence to two years yesterday.
When Al Barrak was first arrested in 2012, Amnesty International issued the following statement, describing his arrest as “outrageous”:
“The arrest and prosecution of Musallam al-Barrak, on account of his peaceful criticism of Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al Sabah, is outrageous and is yet another manifestation of the increasing restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly in Kuwait,” said Ann Harrison, Deputy Director for Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Programme.
“He did not incite violence or hatred but was engaged purely in exercising his right to peaceful freedom of expression – the Kuwaiti authorities must drop the charges against him and against anyone else facing similar charges for peacefully expressing their views.”
For many, the charges are aimed at silencing Al Barrak, 59, an outspoken Popular Action Bloc member, who has been an MP since 1996.
According to Kuwaiti blogger Mohammed Almutawa:
#Kuwait Appeals court sentences former MP Musallam Al-Barrak to two years in prison for remarks deemed to undermine the Amir
— Mohammad Almutawa (@mfmutawa) February 22, 2015
He explains:
Al-Barrak has a large following and is considered to be leading the opposition front in #Kuwait, now sentenced to 2yrs in jail… — Mohammad Almutawa (@mfmutawa) February 22, 2015
The sentencing of Al Mussallam for his views,
Bahraini human rights defender Nabeel Rajab explains to his 260K followers on Twitter:
إن #سجن_مسلم_البراك بسبب أراء تبناها او صرح بها هو انتهاك صارخ لحقوق الانسان وحريته في التعبير ويبين إن #الكويت مستمرة في تراجعاتها الحقوقية
— Nabeel Rajab (@NABEELRAJAB) February 22, 2015
The jailing of Mussallam Al Barrak for views he holds or views he expressed is a stark violation of human rights and his right to free expression. It also shows that Kuwait is regressing in its human rights record
In another tweet, he adds:
#سجن_مسلم_البراك في #الكويت هو إنتهاك للمواثيق الدولية لحقوق الانسان وكل النشطاء الحقوقيين والسياسين بمن فيهم المختلفين معه مطالبين بإذانته — Nabeel Rajab (@NABEELRAJAB) February 22, 2015
The jailing of Mussallam Al Barrak in Kuwait is a violation of international human rights accords and all activists and politicians, including those who disagree with him, should condemn it
And Kuwaiti university professor and columnist Dr Bader Aldaihani explains to his 17K followers on Twitter:
سجن مسلم البراك هو سجن سياسي فقضيته قضية سياسية من ألفها إلى يائها والقضايا السياسية من المفترض أن تحل سياسياً وليس جنائياً #سجن_مسلم_البراك
— د. بدر الديحاني (@DrAldaihani) February 22, 2015
The jailing of Mussallam Al Barrak is a political sentence as his case is political, from its start to finish, and political problems should be solved politically and not through criminal cases
In another tweet, he notes:
الناس لا يصدقون كيف يسجن المناضل الذي أفنى عمره يحارب الفساد المؤسسي بينما كبار الفاسدين وسراق المال العام يسرحون ويمرحون؟! #سجن_مسلم_البراك
— د. بدر الديحاني (@DrAldaihani) February 22, 2015
People can't believe how an activist who has lived his life fighting corporate corruption is in jail while those who steal public money and are lead corruption are free
Many Kuwaitis took to Twitter to raise alarm about the jailing of Al Barrak under the hashtag #سجن_ضمير_الأمة, which translates to “the jailing of the nation's conscience” as Al Barrak is referred to by his supporters.
According to Suhail Al Yamani:
الضمير الحي مشكلة كبيرة ومقلقة .. لذلك تلجأ بعض الأمم إلى التخلص من ضميرها حتى لا يعكر صفو ” دجّتها ” وفسادها! #سجن_مسلم_البراك
— سهيل اليماني® (@agrni) February 22, 2015
A living conscience is a big and concerning problem.. this is why some countries get rid of its conscience so that corruption can continue