Be informed before resharing any social media post: Kuwaiti court jails five in social media cases.

Think twice before you hit share on that video or forward a post about someone prominent. This week, Kuwait’s State Security and Terrorism Crimes Court reminded everyone, citizens and residents alike, that what you post online can land you in prison.

The court ruled on five separate cases tied to social media activity, and the outcomes ranged from a five-year hard labour sentence to a full acquittal.

What actually happened in court

The State Security and Terrorism Crimes Court, which handles cases involving national security, defamation of senior officials and sectarian incitement, issued its rulings in one sitting covering five unrelated cases.

In the most serious of them, the court convicted Talal Al-Dabbous of insulting the Amir through his social media activity and sentenced him to five years in prison with hard labour.

A second case involved Luluah Al-Hussainan and Mansour Al-Muharib, who were also sentenced to five years with hard labour after the court found they had spread false news online. The video at the centre of that case was ordered destroyed, meaning it can no longer legally circulate.

A lawyer who had appeared on a television programme and made statements there fared differently. The court acquitted him, but only on the condition that he signs a two-year undertaking to maintain good conduct, and he was released on 5,000 KD bail.

A separate social media user was convicted of inciting sectarian strife and sentenced to three years with hard labour. And in the final case, two X users were sentenced over a single chain of posts about a member of the ruling family: the person who originally posted got two years, while the person who replied to it received five years, a heavier sentence than the original post itself.

So does this affect expats too?

Yes, and this is the part worth sitting with. Kuwait’s cybercrime and press laws apply to anyone posting from inside the country, regardless of nationality or visa status. If you are a resident here, whether on a work visa, a dependent visa or just visiting, your social media activity is not exempt because you are not a citizen.

Expats have been prosecuted before for comments seen as insulting to the ruling family, spreading rumours, or stirring up sectarian or communal tension. A conviction can mean prison time, deportation after serving a sentence, or both. Even sharing or forwarding a post someone else wrote, as this week’s case involving the two X users shows, can carry its own separate charge and its own sentence.

What to watch out for:

1. Never post or forward content that criticises or mocks the Amir, the ruling family, or state institutions.
2. Don’t share unverified news, rumours or edited videos, even if you did not create them yourself.
3. Avoid commentary that touches on sect, religion or nationality in a way that could be read as inflammatory.
4. If you reply to or repost someone else’s content, understand you can be held responsible for it independently of the original poster.
5. If you’re ever contacted by authorities over something you posted, get legal advice before making any statement.

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