CPJ and Gulf Rights Group Alert UN to Kuwait’s Declining Press Freedom

The United Nations Human Rights Council will find a critical review by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) showing Kuwait’s worsening press freedom conditions during a universal periodic review tomorrow.

A thorough submission provides evidence of what the organizations call an “escalating crackdown” targeting journalists across the Gulf state, which creates mounting concern about government restrictions on free expression and assembly rights.

Since Kuwait’s previous UN human rights review, the country’s media environment has encountered growing pressure through expanded attacks against:

• Professional journalists and bloggers continue to face both harassment and legal prosecution.
• The Gulf state conducts ongoing repression targeting members of the Bedoon community who do not have official nationality status.

Former members of parliament face harassment when they challenge official government positions publicly.

A representative from the CPJ noted, “This joint submission provides essential evidence of how Kuwait is abandoning its human rights treaty obligations.” The Universal Periodic Review brings needed international attention to these concerning human rights trends.

The biannual Universal Periodic Review process will critique Kuwait’s human rights developments since its most recent evaluation, while proposing solutions for better performance.

Free speech problems are expected to receive significant attention at tomorrow’s meeting, according to human rights monitors as they work to develop specific proposals to undo Kuwait’s strict media guidelines.