Kuwait revoked the licenses of Al-Sabah newspaper and its affiliated TV station after stripping owner Barakat Hudaiban Al Rashidi of citizenship.
Like other Kuwaiti papers, Al-Sabah enjoyed relative freedom to criticize government policies, particularly compared to its Gulf peers — and, also like much of the Kuwaiti media, it was known for publishing inaccuracies and politically motivated leaks. Newspapers in Kuwait must be owned by citizens.
Kuwait is in the midst of a regulatory overhaul since Emir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad dissolved Parliament in 2024. The reforms have been accompanied by the purging of thousands of citizenships the government says were fraudulently obtained, though rights groups report that political opponents have also been caught up in the process. Al-Sabah, in print since 2007, was generally considered friendly to the government, according to the BBC. It’s unclear exactly why Al Rashidi was stripped of citizenship, and he hasn’t commented on the decision.