Kuwait City: An opposition activist in Kuwait says an appeals court has overturned a five-year prison sentence against a former parliament member for insulting the Gulf nation’s ruler.
Monday’s decision does not clear Musallam Al Barrack, who still faces the charges and has a new sentencing hearing next month. But it helps ease an escalating political confrontation between Al Barrack’s supporters and the government. Al Barrack’s conviction last month touched off protests and clashes.
One of his top aides, Sa’ad Al Ajmi, said another sentencing hearing is set for June 9. Al Barrack was charged for a speech last year in which he derided Kuwait’s ruler for making changes to the country’s voting law. Kuwaiti officials have sharply increased a crackdown on dissent, including arrests for Twitter posts deemed offensive to the emir.
