Kuwait passes controversial press law
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 Kuwait has passed a press law allowing new newspapers and magazines to be published for the first time in three decades, but some in the press doubt whether the law will improve freedom of the press in the oil-rich state.
The law, approved unanimously by parliament on March 6, prohibits the detention of journalists or the shutting down of publications without a final court ruling. The bill takes effect in six months and stipulates a jail term of up to one year and a fine of $7,000 to $70,000 for offenses against Islam, but waves all jail sentences for journalists for non-religious offenses.
“The new law widens the margins of the freedom of the press, adds to the weight of the profession, lifts up further its ceiling and bolsters the foundations of the fourth estate," said Al Qabas daily in a front-page editorial. But some journalists believe more has to be done to ensure increased press freedoms in the state.
“The new law imposes significant changes, sadly none of them improve the freedom of Kuwait's press,” said Jamie Etheridge, the executive editor of the Kuwait Times paper. “The law will allow more competition among local newspapers by opening up licenses for new publications. But it falls far short of protecting journalists from slander suits,” Etheridge told MEB Journal.
Kuwait is widely considered to have the freest press in the Gulf region but that has not prevented the incarceration of journalists or the shutting down of some publications over the years. In October 2004, the government banned the social-cultural weekly Al-Shaab for three months for violating the terms of its license by printing political news, according to the U.S.-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
“The threat of fines and jail terms encourages journalists to self-censor, thus reducing rather than
encouraging true freedom of the press,” Etheridge added
The country has five Arabic and two English-language daily newspapers, all of which are privately owned. According to the Ministry of Information, the government owns and controls eight local radio stations and five TV stations.
The Kuwaiti government allowed the first private satellite TV station, Al Rai, to broadcast in October 2004. The channel is linked to its sister company, the Al-Rai Al-Aam newspaper.
But for Etheridge it is unlikely the new press law will affect the audiovisual sector by allowing more private radio and television stations to open up in the near future. “There is already (audiovisual) liberalization in terms of licenses. The government recently approved the establishment of the first private television station. Another isn't likely to appear for a while but in the longer term, we may see one or two more.”
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