Kuwaiti Courts Issue Fines for Societal Insult and Sectarian Incitement
KUWAIT CITY, Oct 1: The Criminal Court has delivered several key rulings, including imposing heavy fines and overturning a sentence in an alcohol trafficking case.
Fines for Insult and Incitement
- KD 10,000 Fine for Societal Insult: The Criminal Court fined a citizen, identified as A. M., KD 10,000 for insulting a segment of Kuwaiti society. The charge was based on a video clip that went viral on social media, though the defendant denied the charges brought by the Public Prosecution.
- KD 50,000 Fine for Sectarianism: The court also imposed a substantial fine of KD 50,000 on Dr. Abdul Mutalib Behbehani. The penalty was for inciting sectarian strife through posts uploaded to his X account. The court found the statements were likely to undermine national unity and harm the social fabric.
Alcohol Trafficking Sentence Overturned
In a separate matter, the Misdemeanor Court of Cassation overturned a two-year prison sentence with hard labor that had been issued to two brothers convicted of alcohol trafficking.
The Court of Cassation ruled the sentence invalid because the Court of Appeal had adjudicated the case directly—a violation of the principle of two-stage litigation.
The case had a complex path: the Misdemeanor Court initially deferred the case to the Criminal Court, arguing that it lacked subject-matter jurisdiction because the charge constituted a case of recidivism. However, the Court of Appeal asserted its jurisdiction, heard the case, and issued the prison sentence, a procedure the higher court deemed faulty.
