A Kuwaiti court on February 7, 2013, sentenced al-Baz, an Egyptian blogger who lives in Kuwait, to a year in prison, deportation, and a fine of about US$200 on charges of insulting Islam in connection with his blog posts on secularism, the blogger’s lawyer told CPJ.
Al-Baz’s personal blog featured several entries that criticized the mixing of politics with religion and included critical posts on strict interpretations of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. The blog was no longer available in late 2013.
In its statement announcing the official charges against the blogger, the Kuwaiti Ministry of Interior highlighted one of al-Baz’s posts that discussed a story by Egyptian novelist Alaa al-Aswany about patients being refused health care during prayer time.
It is not clear whether Egyptian authorities have sought al-Baz’s release.