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Activist's Detention Possible Turning Point for Kuwaiti Women

The sentence of political activist Sara Aldrees highlights growing female involvement in Kuwaiti politics.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki (R) meets with Iraqi Kurdish President Masoud Barzani (L) in Baghdad, July 7, 2013.  Barzani visited Baghdad on Sunday for the first time in more than two years, in a symbolic step to resolve disputes between the central government and the autonomous region over land and oil. The visit follows an equally rare trip by Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki who met Barzani in Kurdistan last month, breaking ice between leaders who have repeatedly accused each other of violating

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.

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