Media Sustainability Index 2008 Kuwait

"The past year saw a boom in the business of Kuwaiti media and some unwelcome challenges to its practice—both because of recent changes to the country’s media laws. In March 2006, after years of demands, a new printing and publication law was finally issued to replace one that was issued in 1961 and had granted the executive the authority to grant, cancel or freeze newspaper licenses through administrative decree. The new law created a liberalized process for new licenses, and allows applicants to go to court if their application is refused. As a result, daily newspapers proliferated in the period 2007-2008. The number of Arabic-language dailies reached 14 by August, 2008. In all, 110 applications for publication licenses were submitted and 37 were approved by July, 2008. However, the new law not only sustained prohibition of materials that criticize Islam, the emir, the constitution, or offenses to public morality, it expanded the scope of crimes involving media. The number of possible media crimes rose from 253 in 2006 to 462 in 2008, with 382 classified as felonies."