Overview
- A U.S. State Department official confirmed Friday that the American-Kuwaiti journalist had left Kuwait and said the department provided consular help during his detention.
- The court in Kuwait acquitted him Thursday after 52 days in custody on charges that included spreading false information, harming national security, and misusing his phone.
- Shihab-Eldin was arrested March 3 while visiting family after reposting publicly available material, including a CNN-verified video of a U.S. fighter jet crash near an air base in Kuwait.
- Authorities had warned people not to share footage related to the Iran war, and on March 15 Kuwait enacted a law that allows prison terms of up to 10 years for spreading supposed false rumors about military entities.
- Press freedom groups such as CPJ welcomed the acquittal yet warned the case shows growing risks for journalists and social media users who share war-related content across the Gulf.