Two Kuwaitis sentenced to prison for mocking Kuwait in viral video

KUWAIT CITY: A Kuwaiti court has sentenced two citizens to three years in prison with hard labor for mocking the country in a video that circulated widely on social media.

The Court of Appeals overturned an earlier ruling by a lower court, which had refrained from imposing a prison sentence. Instead, the appellate court handed down three-year prison terms to the two defendants in connection with the controversial video.

According to local daily Al-Seyassah, the case stems from a statement issued by Kuwait’s Ministry of Interior regarding the arrest of two Kuwaiti nationals and a Colombian citizen after a video showing them making offensive remarks went viral online.

The ministry stated that the content of the video constituted several offenses, including spreading false information, harming national interests, and misusing telecommunications services.

Authorities confirmed that legal action was taken against the defendants and that the case was referred to the relevant judicial authorities.

The Ministry of Interior also reiterated that Kuwaiti law is strictly enforced against anyone who publishes or circulates content deemed harmful to the country’s interests or national security.

Kuwait announces updates on Civil ID renewal

In a separate development, Kuwait’s Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI) introduced a revised procedure for Civil ID renewal for Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) citizens residing in the country through the Sahel application.

PACI stated that renewal requests will now be processed according to an applicant’s status and the information provided. Officials added that the updated system is designed to simplify procedures, enhance digital services, and improve the efficiency of Civil ID renewals for GCC nationals living in Kuwait.