Court rejects appeal, upholds 10-year prison sentence for Salman Al-Khalidi

The Criminal Court has upheld 10-year prison sentence against Salman Al-Khalidi, for insulting His Highness the Amir and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Al-Khalidi, who was sentenced in absentia, had filed an appeal seeking to overturn the previous verdict. However, the court found no grounds to revise the original ruling, reaffirming the severity of the charges and the validity of the earlier judicial decision.

The case stems from two separate criminal charges brought against Al-Khalidi. The first involved publicly insulting the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, while the second related to making derogatory statements against the Amir of Kuwait on the social media platform X.

The Criminal Court had earlier concluded that the posts published by Al-Khalidi on the platform constituted a deliberate offense against the leadership and institutions of both Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, violating national laws that prohibit such expressions deemed harmful to state sovereignty and bilateral relations.

Despite Al-Khalidi’s absence during trial proceedings, the court proceeded in accordance with the law and issued a verdict in absentia. His appeal was later dismissed after failing to meet legal criteria or present sufficient justification to overturn the sentence.

The final ruling reflects Kuwait’s firm stance against offenses targeting the country’s leadership or its close allies, particularly when such offenses are committed in the public domain or through digital platforms.