The Cairo-based Arab Network for Human Rights Information on Tuesday criticized Kuwaiti authorities for shutting down local offices of the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera television network and withdrawing its accreditation.
“This incident threatens the freedom of expression in Kuwait,” said the group.
The Kuwaiti decision–which was implemented on Monday–followed Al-Jazeera's coverage of a police crackdown on Kuwaiti members of parliament who held a rally in solidarity with colleagues that had been stripped of parliamentary immunity.
Al-Jazeera was barred from operating in Kuwait for two and half years in 2002 over its coverage of US forces in Kuwait before the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
The network has occasionally run into problems with authorities in other Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Bahrain, Jordan and Morocco. Unlike Arab state-run media, the station often publicizes views of local opposition figures, including criticism of their countries' rulers.
