Police in Kuwait have arrested a resident - an Egyptian man - for posting a video online in which he rants about bad weather and dust storms, The Associated Press reported on Tuesday.
Kuwait's Ministry of Interior said Sunday the person behind the “offensive” video was arrested and referred to authorities, which would “take the necessary legal action against him.”
In a dashboard camera video posted on the social media app TikTok, the man can be heard complaining about the blinding sandstorm that has engulfed Kuwait for the past few days.
“I'm inside a dust storm right now, I literally can't see anything in front of me,” the man is heard saying, showing the dust coating the highway like a thick fog.
“Fine, Kuwait, fine,” he adds, with an expletive in Arabic. The clip went viral on Twitter, racking up tens of thousands of views.
The arrest of the man underscored the country's restrictions on expression and drew criticism on social media Monday over his detention, according to AP.
Kuwait stands out for its outspoken parliament and relatively vibrant civic life but authorities routinely use the cybercrime law to police criticism and prosecute dissidents.
In 2016, a Kuwait University professor was charged with "blasphemy" after stating that the Kuwaiti constitution holds legal dominance over the Koran.
In 2013, individuals in Kuwait were accused of offending the emir, with a former MP being handed a jail term for insulting the Gulf state's ruler.
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