Kuwaiti pilot whose tweet criticised Saudi-led campaign in Yemen released from prison

A Kuwaiti pilot who criticised the Saudi-led intervention in the Yemen conflict on Twitter was released from prison

1 min read

16 January, 2022

Kuwait is part of the Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen [Getty- archive]

Kuwaiti authorities released on Sunday a pilot after he was jailed for criticising on Twitter the Saudi-led coalition air campaign in Yemen’s conflict.

Videos on Kuwaiti media showed the moment Captain Ahmed Ashour was released, as his family welcomed him.

فيديو| لحظة الافراج عن الكابتن أحمد عاشور المحبوس بسبب تغريدات pic.twitter.com/QIuL5N41OS
— خبر عاجل (@Breakingkw) January 16, 2022

Ashour was released after serving his prison sentence and not by a royal decree, "without mediation or interference from MPs or Kuwaiti officials", according to local media.

It was not clear how long his sentence was.

The pilot had criticised the Saudi-led "Operation Decisive Storm," which Kuwait is a part of, against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

The coalition intervened in Yemen to support the internationally recognised government in March 2015 after the Houthis captured the capital, Sanaa, the previous year.