Kuwait detains American journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin: What to know

American-Kuwaiti journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin has been detained in Kuwait for weeks, according to press freedom advocates, amid a widening crackdown on wartime reporting in the Gulf state.

What happened: The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said that Shihab-Eldin, who was in Kuwait visiting family, has not been seen publicly or posted online since March 2. Authorities have charged him with spreading false information, harming national security and misusing his mobile phone, charges the press freedom organization called “vague and overly broad accusations that are routinely used to silence independent journalists.” 

The CPJ called on Kuwaiti authorities to release Shihab-Eldin and drop the charges against him. The Kuwaiti Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to Al-Monitor’s request for comment. 

His detention prompted widespread criticism from journalists and activists on social media.

Shihab-Eldin had been posting about the impact of the war on Kuwait before he went offline. On March 2, he shared photos and videos of the US fighter jet that crashed in Kuwait on Substack. The content was not exclusive to Shihab-Eldin and appeared on other platforms.

The journalist also shared news pertaining to US and Israeli strikes on Iran as well as Iranian strikes on Israel and the Gulf between the start of the war on Feb. 28 and March 2.

Who is he? Shihab-Eldin is based in the United States and has worked for a number of media outlets, including Al Jazeera, the New York Times and the BBC. The journalist’s content is often critical of the Trump administration and Israel. In recent years, his reporting has not focused on Arab states, though he did produce a 2023 BBC documentary on the persecution of LGBTQ people by the Egyptian police.

Shihab-Eldin was born in the United States to Kuwaiti nationals of Palestinian origin. According to his website, his parents were forced to leave their homes in 1948 during the Arab-Israeli war. Kuwait has a Palestinian population of around 30,000, according to reports.

Why it matters: Kuwait has been cracking down on coverage of the war in recent weeks, seeking to limit what content can be shared. On March 4, the Information Ministry referred “several media law violators” for prosecution and two days earlier urged the public not to share any content related to strikes against the country, citing security reasons. 

According to Reports Without Borders, another media watchdog, Kuwait’s 2020 information law is regularly used to prohibit journalists from criticizing the government. 

Kuwait has been targeted by hundreds of Iranian missiles and drones since the war began, causing the deaths of at least six US soldiers and one civilian. Kuwait Petroleum Corporation sites, the Ali Al Salem Air Base and the airport are among the areas to have been targeted. 

Know more: Kuwait arrested six people in March accused of working with Hezbollah to plot assassinations. There have been at least three rounds of detentions targeting the Iran-backed Lebanese group in Kuwait during the war, with 26 people arrested on similar charges earlier in the month.