Gulf Centre for Human Rights — Court of Cassation sentences former MPs and online critics (6 September 2026), and the State Security Court of Appeal's eight-year sentence against former MP Mohammed Al-Mutair (8 September 2026)

GCHR reports that the First Circuit of the Court of Cassation, presided over by Judge Sultan Noah Boursli, issued final rulings "on 05 September 2026" against former National Assembly members, activists and bloggers over published tweets and posts. The charges were "challenging the rights and powers of the Emir", "spreading false news that could harm the country's internal interests and situation" and "insulting the judiciary". GCHR connects the rulings to what it calls the "biometric fingerprinting case": in May 2023 the Ministry of Interior required biometric registration, and some former MPs and activists criticised it online.

Prison sentences, per GCHR:
- Musallam Al-Barrak, three years as a repeat offender, for spreading malicious news. He is abroad, and GCHR cites press reports of a Ministry of Interior inquiry into how he left without a travel ban.
- Salem Al-Namlan, three years as a repeat offender. He is abroad.
- Muhannad Al-Sayer, three years; his suspended sentence was revoked (challenging the Emir's rights and spreading malicious news).
- Saleh Mohammed Al-Mulla, two years (challenging the Emir's prerogatives).
- Badr Al-Dahoum, one year with hard labour; his suspended sentence was revoked (insulting judges of the Constitutional Court).
- Ahmed Khaled Al-Shalimi, an X user, three years for breaching his pledge (false news).

The Court also set aside the acquittals of fifteen defendants, convicted them of disseminating false news and declined to pronounce sentence, subject to a KD 1,000 bond. GCHR names them as former MPs Adel Al-Damkhi, Mohammed Musaed Al-Dousari, Osama Al-Zaid, Shuaib Ali Shaaban, Mohammed Abbas Jawhar Hayat, Madi Al-Hajri, Hamad Al-Mudlej, Ali Radan Al-Otaibi, Mohammed Hayef, Saud Al-Hajri, Khaled Mohammed Mounis Al-Otaibi and Mohammed Awad Obaid Al-Mutairi; activist Falah Al-Hajri; journalist Nami Harab; and Nasser Mohammed Al-Mutairi, Secretary-General of the Kuwait National Party.

GCHR further reports that on 8 September 2026 the State Security Court of Appeal, "in a final and unappealable ruling", upheld an eight-year sentence against former MP "Mohammed Al-Mutairi": three years for broadcasting false news, misleading statements and confidential documents, and five years for publicly challenging the Emir's rights and insulting the judiciary. It says he is outside the country, and that those sentenced who were in Kuwait have been taken to the Central Prison. GCHR condemns the rulings and calls for them to be overturned.

USE IN A REPORT: the rulings are established by the Kuwaiti press reports (Al-Rai, Asharq Al-Awsat, Al-Seyassah). GCHR's report adds the political context and its own characterisation. The operative details are the date (6 September), the Penal Code articles (81 and 84(1)), the recidivism basis for the two three-year sentences and the undertaking-and-bond disposal for the fifteen. Cite these from the press reports or, better, from the judgments. Charges are as stated by the court and the prosecution; they are not findings about the truth of any published statement beyond what the courts decided.

Three corrections to GCHR's English report, from the Kuwaiti press:
- The Cassation rulings were given on Sunday 6 September 2026, not 5 September.
- The former MP sentenced to eight years is Mohammed Al-Mutair (محمد المطير), not "Mohammed Al-Mutairi". This matters because two of the fifteen defendants who were convicted but not sentenced are called Al-Mutairi (Mohammed Awad Obaid, and Nasser Mohammed), and a report must not conflate them.
- Al-Rai ties the fifteen convictions to posts about former MP Shuaib Al-Muwaizri's entry into Kuwait. GCHR describes them as the "biometric fingerprinting case". The two may be connected, but a report should use the court's description.

On what a "conviction without sentence" means: under Article 81 of the Penal Code the court finds the defendant guilty, does not impose a penalty, and requires an undertaking of good conduct. As Al-Shalimi's case shows, breach of that undertaking can lead to a sentence later. For the Dossier's record of the courts' structure and of the Penal Code, see the entries on Decree-Law No. 80 of 2026 and on the Penal Code.

Al-Rai reports that the State Security Court of Appeal, presided over by Counsellor Abdullah Al-Sanea, dismissed the appeals of former MP Mohammed Al-Mutair (محمد المطير). It upheld five years with labour for insulting the office of the Amir and the judiciary, and three years with labour in a case concerning insulting the Public Prosecutor, making eight years in total. Al-Seyassah reported the same ruling, and described the three-year case as concerning false news and leaked documents.

Al-Rai reports that the First Chamber of the Court of Cassation, presided over by Counsellor Sultan Boursli, ruled on Sunday (6 September 2026) in cases of broadcasting false news about the internal situation "concerning the entry into the country of former MP Shuaib Al-Muwaizri".

For fifteen defendants, the Court set aside their acquittals, convicted them and declined to pronounce sentence under Article 81 of the Penal Code. Each must give an undertaking of good conduct for two years, backed by a KD 1,000 bond. The Court cited "the circumstances of the offence and the age of the accused". The names match GCHR's list, with Falah Al-Hajri listed among them.

The Court set aside the acquittals of Salem Al-Namlan and Musallam Al-Barrak and sentenced each to three years with labour as repeat offenders. The earlier conviction relied on was a final felony judgment of 8 July 2017 (Case 946/2011, Capital Prosecution; 283/2011, CID felonies). The Court applied Article 84(1) of the Penal Code on connected offences, ordered the seized devices confiscated and ordered the tweets deleted.

It revoked the suspension of Muhannad Al-Sayer's sentence and imposed three years (challenging the Amir's rights, interfering in his prerogatives, and spreading malicious news). It revoked the suspension for Saleh Mohammed Al-Mulla and imposed two years (challenging the Amir's prerogatives). It sentenced Badr Al-Dahoum to one year with labour for insulting Constitutional Court judges at an electoral seminar. It set aside a decision not to punish Ahmed Khaled Al-Shalimi, for breach of his undertaking, and imposed three years (false news harming the internal situation).

Asharq Al-Awsat reported the same rulings on 6 September 2026.