Cassation Court issues verdict in high profile state security cases

The Court of Cassation has issued final verdicts in several high-profile state security cases, upholding prison sentences against a number of former MPs over statements and social media posts deemed to insult HH the Amir or interfere with his powers.

• Waleed Al-Tabtabaei has been sentenced to four years in prison for challenging the Amir’s authority.
• Hamad Al-Alyan to 2 years in prison over tweets undermining the Amir’s powers.
• Hussein Al-Qallaf to 2 years with hard labor for criticizing Interior Ministry procedures on Shiite religious practices
• Anwar Al-Fikr to 3 years in prison for remarks on the Prime Minister’s appointment.
• Abdullah Fahhad to 6-month sentence suspended for 3 years with KD 3,000 bail, in a case involving insults to the judiciary.
• Musaed Al-Quraif to 4 years with hard labor for statements made during his election campaign.

Additionally, according to local Arabic newspapers, the court overturned a previous acquittal of former MP Saadoun Hammad and others in a 2023 vote-buying case, requiring them to sign a good conduct pledge instead of imposing penalties.