Kuwait: 15-Year Sentence against Salman Al-Khalidi a grave act of transnational repression

Skyline International for Human Rights (SIHR) condemns the 15-year prison sentence with hard labor handed down to Kuwaiti blogger Salman Al-Khalidi by the Kuwaiti Criminal Court on January 11, 2026. This verdict represents an extreme escalation in the use of state security legislation to suppress the peaceful use of social media platforms and online advocacy.

Salman Al-Khalidi is a 25-year-old human rights defender and a recognized political refugee in the United Kingdom. He was sentenced on charges of "insulting the Emir" and "hostile acts against a neighboring state.” These charges stem from his peaceful online activities and his role as a founder of the Kuwaiti Refugee Association, which operates from London.

The case is marked by a severe breach of international protection protocols following the enforced handover of Al-Khalidi from Iraq to Kuwait in January 2025. Al-Khalidi was arrested at Baghdad International Airport while traveling as a tourist and was personally delivered by the governor of Basra to Kuwaiti authorities. Despite his status as a political refugee, this extradition constitutes a flagrant violation of the principle of non-refoulement and a breach of Kuwait’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which the state ratified in 1996.

"The sentencing of Salman Al-Khalidi is a hallmark of transnational repression," said Dima Samaro, Executive Director at SIHR. "The state is not only criminalizing online expression but is using the judicial system to pursue activists in exile. This enforced handover highlights a disturbing disregard for the sanctity of political asylum and the international laws designed to protect those fleeing persecution."

Article 4 and Article 25 of the State Security Law (Law 31/1970) serve as instruments for Kuwaiti authorities to penalize Al-Khalidi for digital content published while he was residing under the protection of a country of asylum. Article 4, which prohibits acts that threaten to sever relations with foreign nations, and Article 25, which criminalizes public disrespect toward the Emir, are being weaponized in this context to dismantle the digital safety of the diaspora. Such judicial overreach serves to intimidate not only Al-Khalidi but also all activists who believe they have found safety abroad. The intent to weaponize statelessness as a punitive tool against those who speak truth to power from abroad is further evidenced by the April 2024 Emiri decree stripping Al-Khalidi of his citizenship.

SIHR calls on the Kuwaiti authorities to:

• Vacate the 15-year sentence and drop all charges linked to the peaceful exercise of free speech online.
• Reinstate Al-Khalidi’s citizenship, which was revoked by decree in 2024, as the use of statelessness as a punitive measure violates basic human rights norms.
• Reform the state security and media laws to ensure they cannot be weaponized against digital activists and bloggers.