KUWAIT: The appeals court yesterday upheld a five-years-in-jail sentence against a lawyer who was found guilty of spreading false rumors that damaged the Health Ministry's integrity and caused public disturbance. Lawyer Hani Hussein faced state security charges after the ministry sued him over claims he posted on his Twitter account in which he said that a Bangladeshi man working at a public hospital has impersonated a Kuwaiti doctor for 40 years, and has performed numerous medical procedures during that span. The man was taken in custody, charged accordingly after investigations revealed that his accusations were false, and was sentenced by the court of first instance to five years in jail. The lawyer now has the option to appeal the verdict to the court of cassation, whose ruling is final.

By Meshaal Al-Enezi