The Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) condemns in the strongest terms the three-year prison sentence issued against the prominent defender of the rights of the Bedoon community, Mohammed Al-Barghash, after his retrial. He was put on trial due to his peaceful human rights activities.

On 31 January 2024, the Court of Appeal issued its ruling against Al-Barghash for a period of three years in prison with hard labour, after convicting him of the charges brought against him, namely, spreading fake news, harming the state’s reputation, and misusing a telephone device. GCHR hopes that Al-Barghash will appeal the ruling at the Court of Cassation in Kuwait. Some reports suggested that immediately after the verdict was declared, he surrendered to the authorities who placed him in the Central Prison, but GCHR has not yet been unable to confirm this information.

The Court of First Instance had decided, in its hearing held on 27 October 2023, to acquit him of all the alleged charges brought against him. He was released subsequently after 55 days of detention in the Central Prison, during which he suffered various human rights violations. At the forefront of these violations was his interrogation after he was taken blindfolded and handcuffed to the State Security Apparatus, where he was interrogated by six officers who put psychological pressure on him and threatened him with torture, which led to the deterioration of his health and his transfer to the hospital.

The Public Prosecution filed its appeal against the initial ruling, in addition to  a one-year suspended prison sentence issued against him in another case, due to his peaceful human rights work and his continued demands for the rights of Bedoon citizens in Kuwait.

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Al-Barghash belongs to the Bedoon community in Kuwait. He founded the National Bloc of Kuwaiti Bedoons, which he also heads, and which has organised a number of events to shed light on the chronic problems that the Bedoon community suffers from and demand radical solutions to them.

GCHR calls on the government of Kuwait to release Bedoon rights defender Mohammed Al-Barghash immediately and without any conditions and not to target him again. GCHR also calls on the government of Kuwait to work hard to grant the Bedoon community their basic human rights, in addition to ensuring respect for the civil and human rights of citizens, especially freedom of expression.