From romance novels to opposition protests, Sara Aldrees has become Kuwait’s first female political detainee, as many refer to her. Although not the first to be prosecuted, the 26-year-old high school teacher has been one of the most vocal females in Kuwait in protests, media and through her work with the newly-formed Civil Democratic Movement.

Unlike some others, Aldrees did not try to deny to have written the four tweets critical of current Emir Sabah IV al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, his era and his policies. She was given 20 months in jail, and the court of appeals confirmed the conviction within a week, violating her right to defense. Kuwait’s constitution criminalizes the defamation of the emir and the state; a law that has been heavily criticized lately.

Over the past two years, Twitter has been the country’s worst nightmare, which explains the continued arrests of users and long sentences given to them based on charges of “defaming the emir” and “misusing cell phones.” Last April, the state announced longer sentences for those offending the emir, the state and the judiciary system. This resulted in sentencing a 37-year-old woman to 11 years in jail for her anonymous tweets against the emir. Such sentences challenge a common convention that views women to be immune from political persecution. In Aldrees’ case, the typical image of the woman politician is taking a different route away from state feminism.

In a statement by the opposition coalition about Aldrees’s sentence, gender is not highlighted except in referring to her as the country’s first female political detainee. The opposition, mostly led by conservative and Islamist former members of parliament, took this occasion to criticize the judiciary for being politicized in favor of authorities. The same rhetoric was used by the National Committee for Monitoring Violations, which also emphasized how the sentence is a violation of human rights. Other political groups such as the Umbrella for Kuwaiti Action and the leftist Tayyar Taqadomi have also dropped the issue of women from their commentary on this case. Only a member of the Civil Democratic Movement Shaymaa al-Asiri was clear in stating that state persecution now affects women, too.