The Kuwaiti parliament is about to approve a new Press and Publications Law, which will end nearly three decades of a government freeze on new licenses for daily newspapers.
The new law bans the closure of newspapers without a final court verdict and allows citizens whose applications for licenses are rejected to sue the government in court, said MP Fei’sal Al-Muslim, who heads the committee on education.
The law also bans imprisoning journalists for all but religious offenses, for which jail terms have also been reduced, reports the Middle East Times. It also bans the arrest and detention of journalists, writers and intellectuals until a final verdict is delivered by the Supreme Court.
The government discussed the draft law on Monday during the parliamentary session. The Kuwaiti daily A-Rai Al-‘Am reports that journalism students from the University of Kuwait were present at the session, giving it a symbolic proof of its importance for the future of journalism in the country.
Kuwait has five Arabic and two English-language dailies, plus dozens of weekly magazines.