The Kuwaiti government has revoked the citizenship of prominent Kuwaiti-American journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin and his two sisters, Lana and Luma, just days after he was released from nearly two months of detention over social media posts related to the Iran war. The decision was issued Wednesday by Kuwait's Supreme Committee for Nationality Affairs under Article 11 of the Kuwaiti nationality law, which mandates the withdrawal of citizenship from nationals who voluntarily acquire a foreign nationality. Shihab-Eldin, 41, holds both U.S. and Kuwaiti citizenship. The ruling was published in an of

The Kuwaiti government has revoked the citizenship of prominent Kuwaiti-American journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin and his two sisters, Lana and Luma, just days after he was released from nearly two months of detention over social media posts related to the Iran war.

The decision was issued Wednesday by Kuwait's Supreme Committee for Nationality Affairs under Article 11 of the Kuwaiti nationality law, which mandates the withdrawal of citizenship from nationals who voluntarily acquire a foreign nationality. Shihab-Eldin, 41, holds both U.S. and Kuwaiti citizenship. The ruling was published in an official government gazette and covered 21 individuals in total, according to Reuters.

Shihab-Eldin was arrested on March 3 while visiting family in Kuwait, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. He was held for 52 days on charges of spreading false information, harming national security, and misusing his mobile phone, Reuters reported. His arrest followed social media posts that included geolocated footage of a U.S. fighter jet crash near a military base in Kuwait, CPJ said.

On April 23, a Kuwaiti court acquitted him of the first charge. However, the court refrained from pronouncing punishment on the remaining two charges, issuing instead a six-month good conduct condition without bail, according to CPJ, citing his legal team. The prosecution has since filed an appeal, meaning Shihab-Eldin still faces the risk of a custodial sentence.

The U.S. State Department confirmed last Friday that Shihab-Eldin had safely departed Kuwait. "While in detention, the State Department was in contact with Mr. Shihab-Eldin and provided consular assistance," a State Department official said, according to Reuters. The official declined further comment citing privacy considerations.

In a statement issued Wednesday by his legal team, Shihab-Eldin said: "I am free, but many remain behind bars in Kuwait and across the region for speaking the truth."

The revocation comes amid a wider and accelerating citizenship review campaign in Kuwait. Since October 2024, authorities have revoked citizenship in a growing number of cases, with the total exceeding 71,000 individuals as of mid-April 2026, approximately 4.6% of the country's official population, according to CPJ.

The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the decision. "Stripping Shihab-Eldin of his citizenship is not just punitive, it is a dangerous escalation in the use of state power to crush press freedom," CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg said. "Weaponizing nationality to punish reporting sets a chilling precedent for every journalist in Kuwait and the Gulf."

Kuwait's embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment, Reuters reported. CPJ said it emailed the embassy separately and also received no response.

A little more informed. A little more connected.