AL-WATAN NEWSPAPER SLAMMED FOR PUBLISHING LIBELOUS

UNCLAS KUWAIT 004999 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARPI, NEA/P (GSULLIVAN),NEA/PPD (CWHITTLESEY),LONDON FOR TSOU, PARIS FOR ZEYA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KISL SCUL KIRF KPAO KU SUBJECT: AL-WATAN NEWSPAPER SLAMMED FOR PUBLISHING LIBELOUS EDITORIAL ABOUT LIBERAL PROFESSOR REF: KUWAIT 1306 and 1192 ¶1. The Kuwait Criminal Court issued December 3 a verdict sentencing Islamist Kuwaiti writer Ahmad Al-Kose and Editor- in-Chief of the Arabic Daily "Al-Watan," Shaykh Khalifa Ali Al-Khalifa Al-Sabah, to suspended two-month jail terms and fined each 50 KD ($170) for publishing a libelous article against liberal political science professor and columnist Dr. Ahmad Al-Baghdadi. The court also suspended the issuance of Al-Watan for one week and ordered the confiscation of the issue containing the offensive article. Al-Watan objected to the ruling and two more courts must uphold the decision in order for it to be imposed. ¶2. Al-Baghdadi filed the case against the Al-Watan columnist who published, with the approval of the Editor-in- Chief, a June 5 article entitled, "Why Do Al-Baghdadi and the Liberals Hate the Holy Quran?" Al-Baghdadi claimed the article, written after Al-Baghdadi criticized the Education Ministry for cutting music classes from public school curricula in favor of Quranic education, accused him of hating the Holy Quran, Islam, and the Prophet Mohammed (reftels). Al-Baghdadi argued that Al-Kose's accusation that he preferred the words of Satan to the words of the Lord was an encroachment on his dignity and reputation. ¶3. The Kuwait Journalists Association issued a statement expressing regret for the preliminary judicial verdict, saying it strongly objected to the jail sentence for an opinion-based case. "While the Association respects the Kuwaiti judiciary, it underscores its firm and principled position upholding freedom of opinion and expression," the statement read. The Association also called for such disputes to be addressed through public debate and not in the courts. ¶4. This verdict comes in the midst of GOK and National Assembly consideration of a new Press and Publications Law. ********************************************* Visit Kuwait's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/ You can also access the site through the State Department's Classified SIPRNET website ********************************************* LEBARON