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Kuwait
The Media
According to Kuwait's 1991 constitution, "freedom of opinion
is guaranteed to everyone . . . within the limits of the law."
The 1961 Press and Publishing Law establishes fines and prison
terms for the publication of banned material, which includes reports
critical of the government. In practice, this provision has been
used only rarely, and Kuwait is known for its press freedom. In
1986, however, the government took a number of measures to repress
political dissent. New censorship regulations formed a part of
these measures. The Ministry of Information requires all publications
to submit copy to the ministry in advance for approval and forbids
criticism of the ruler and his family, other Arab leaders, or
Islam, as well as the acceptance of foreign funding.
As a result of the Iraqi invasion, Iraqi forces took over all
media. A few Kuwaiti newspapers and Radio Kuwait managed to operate
outside the country. After the war, in April 1991 the six opposition
groups joined in calling for a free press. In January 1992, the
government lifted censorship, but journalists continued to experience
various restrictions. As of 1993, the press, radio, and television
were gradually recovering and rebuilding facilities the Iraqis
had destroyed.
The Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) is theoretically independent but
in practice is an arm of the Ministry of Information. Newspapers
are generally privately owned and consist of seven dailies, five
in Arabic and two in English (the Arab Times and Kuwait
Times), as well as a number of weeklies. The largest daily
is Al Qabas (Firebrand), which is independent and had
a circulation of about 120,000 before the war. Two smaller dailies,
Al Anba (News) and Ar Ray al Amm (Public Opinion),
each with a prewar circulation of 80,000, are more conservative
and support the government. With regard to other information media,
the Ministry of Information operates the three stations of Radio
Kuwait and the Kuwait Television station.
Data as of January 1993
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