June 22,1999
His Excellency Youssef Muhammad al-Samait
Minister of Information
c/o His Excellency Ambassador Muhammad al-Sabah
Embassy of the State of Kuwait
2940 Tilden Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20008
Your Excellency,
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is writing to strongly protest the closure of the Qatar-based television station, Al-Jazeera.
CPJ has leaned that Your Excellency issued a decree on June 19 ordering the shut down of Al-Jazeera’s Kuwait office and prohibiting the station from reporting from Kuwait because of alleged violations of professional ethics. The Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) reported on Saturday, June 19, that the “closure decision stipulated that any media activity or any other activity by (Al-Jazeera) would not be allowed in the State of Kuwait and that the journalistic and media work permits of all those working at the Al-Jazeera office in Kuwait or those who cooperate with it had been revoked.”
The ban comes in response to the station’s airing of a live program on women’s rights earlier this month titled “Sharia and Life.” During the program, a viewer identifying himself as an Iraqi national phoned in and strongly criticized Kuwait’s emir Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmed al-Sabah on the air. According to KUNA, Your Excellency said that the decision to impose the ban against Al-Jazeera was the result of its “audacity” in attacking the emir and the state of Kuwait.
A free press is predicated on the ability of journalists to disseminate a diversity of views and opinions, even if they are critical of state policies or government officials. CPJ views the banning of Al-Jazeera as a flagrant violation of the right to free expression guaranteed under international law. Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights guarantees journalists the right to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”
CPJ, a non-governmental organization of journalists devoted to upholding press freedom worldwide, respectfully urges Your Excellency to immediately reverse the ban against Al Jazeera and ensure that journalists working with the station be allowed to carry out their professional duties without interference from the state.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter. We look forward to a reply at your earliest convenience.
Sincerely,
Ann Cooper
Executive Director
Join CPJ in Protesting Attacks on the Press in Kuwait
Send a letter to:
His Excellency Youssef Muhammad al-Samait
Minister of Information
c/o His Excellency Ambassador Muhammad al-Sabah
Embassy of the State of Kuwait
2940 Tilden Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20008