KUWAIT: The special amnesty commission formed by Amiri Decree 218 for the year 2022 held its first meeting Thursday at Seif Palace, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and State Minister for Cabinet Affairs Barrak Al-Sheetan. Official government spokesperson and head of the Center of Government Communications Tareq Al-Mezrem told the press that members of the committee include General Prosecutor Saad Al-Safran, Interior Ministry Undersecretary Anwar Al-Barjes and number of public prosecution and interior ministry officials. The committee commenced its work by providing lists of names of convicted citizens whose cases are applicable to article one of the decree.

An Amiri decree was issued on Monday granting a special amnesty to an unspecified number of mainly Kuwaiti political prisoners who had been convicted to years of jail terms for violating freedom of speech laws. The decree stipulates to grant an amnesty to a number of Kuwaiti citizens jailed for committing crimes from Nov 16, 2011 until the end of 2021.

Based on the decree, the amnesty will cover prisoners who were convicted for carrying out acts of aggression against a foreign country that could threaten Kuwait's security. It also includes those jailed for spreading false news about the internal situation of Kuwait that could undermine the position of the country. The amnesty will also include prisoners jailed for publicly insulting the authority of HH the Amir by any means, whether in writing or in speech. It will also include those convicted for misusing their phones to threaten others or the security of the state. - Agencies