Acquittal of Mohamed Al-Ajmi
On 5 April 2021 the Misdemeanor Court of Kuwait dropped the charge of ‘insulting religion’ against human rights defender Mohamed Al-Ajmi.
On 23 August 2020, human rights defender Mohamed Al-Ajmi was summoned by the Cybercrimes Unit in Kuwait and was detained for two days. The Public Prosecution charged the human rights defender with ‘insulting religion’.
Mohamed Al-Ajmi is prominent blogger and a member of the National Committee for Monitoring Violations (NCMV) which documents violations of freedom of expression in Kuwait. He advocates for the human rights of the Bedoun. The term Bedoun, meaning 'without' in Arabic, refers to the community of stateless persons, native to Kuwait, who are not allowed to obtain any official state documents.
On 5 April 2021 the Misdemeanor Court of Kuwait dropped the charge of ‘insulting religion’ against human rights defender Mohamed Al-Ajmi.
On 23 August 2020, the Cybercrime Unit detained Mohamed Al-Ajmi and accused him of insulting religion regarding a tweet he posted. The human rights defender believes that the charge was levied against him in reprisal for his peaceful activities in defending human rights in Kuwait.
On 23 August 2020, human rights defender Mohamed Al-Ajmi was summoned by the Cybercrimes Unit in Kuwait and was detained for two days. The Public Prosecution charged the human rights defender with ‘insulting religion’.
Mohamed Al-Ajmi is prominent blogger and a member of the National Committee for Monitoring Violations (NCMV) which documents violations of freedom of expression in Kuwait. He advocates for the human rights of the Bedoun. The term Bedoun, meaning 'without' in Arabic, refers to the community of stateless persons, native to Kuwait, who are not allowed to obtain any official state documents.
On 23 August 2020, the human rights defender was summoned by the Cybercrimes Unit in Kuwait. Upon his arrival he was interrogated for a short period of time and was subsequently detained for two days by the public prosecutor. The public prosecution charged Mohamed Al-Ajmi with ‘insulting religion’ regarding a tweet he posted The human rights defender was permitted to contact his family during the second day of his detention. On 25 August, he was released on a bail of 500 Kuwaiti Dinars (approximately 1380 Euros). The human rights defender believes that the charge brought against him is a reprisal for his peaceful activities in defending human rights in Kuwait.
Mohamed Al-Ajmi has been frequently harassed and charged by the authorities. He is also facing the charge of ‘defamation, insulting and slandering’ related to other cases opened against him by the Public Prosecution during the last few years. In August 2014, the human rights defender was detained for ten days and charged with ‘blasphemy’ regarding a tweet that criticised Kuwaiti authorities for the practice of withdrawing citizenshipThis charge was subsequently dropped.
Front Line Defenders is deeply concerned regarding the detention and the charge against human rights defender Mohamed Al-Ajmi. Front Line Defenders believe that these charges are a result of his peaceful and legitimate human rights work.
