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On Sunday, A Kuwaiti judge reportedly ordered the two independent newspapers Alam al-Youm and al-Watan to shut down for two weeks for disclosing the news about the alleged ‘coup videotape’ and breaking the media blackout on the issue. The tape allegedly shows former senior officials planning a coup against the royal family. Reportedly, the order against Alam al-Youm and al-Watan was issued after a complaint was filed by the Information Ministry.
The video has shaken up Kuwait, and prompted a secret parliament debate and an investigation on the issue. The attorney general of Kuwait had ordered a media blackout on the issue, while the royal court had called for calm among its citizenry.
Following the debate in the Parliament, Speaker of the Parliament Marzouk al-Ghanem last Tuesday said that the Prime Minister told MPs that the tape was “tampered with” and not reliable. According to local media reports, a senior member of the ruling family is one of the former officials seen ‘conspiring’ in the videotape. The government has informed the Parliament that it will hand over the tape and all other related document to the public prosecutor, who is currently investigating the issue.
The al-Sabah has ruled over Kuwait for over 250 years now. Recently, Kuwait has been rocked by several political disputes between MPs, members of the ruling family and the Sabah-controlled government. Since 2006, twelve governments have been formed, with the parliament being dissolved six times. In the parliamentary elections held last July, pro-government candidates won the majority after a boycott from the opposition, and ever since, the political scenario in Kuwait has been relatively stable.
Al Watan’s editor has said that the newspaper will appeal against the suspension. “I do not think we talked about the tape more than any other newspaper”, he said. Kuwait has around twelve daily newspapers, which often criticize some ruling family members and the government.
