Kuwait: TV presenter Sazdell El-Kak deported over claims of immoral social media content and violating public decency law.
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Kuwait: TV presenter Sazdell El-Kak deported over claims of immoral social media content and violating public decency law.
October 22, Kuwait, Kuwait— TV presenter Sazdell deported from Kuwait over claims of violating dress code conduct and posting so called immoral social media content. The Coalition For Women In Journalism supports Sazdell against this infringement of her freedom of expression and choice and calls upon Kuwaiti authorities to refrain from using vague terms like “ violating public morals” to limit personal freedoms and free speech.
On October 15, Sazdell was summoned to the Ministry of Interior to discuss her clothing issue. She was put in custody and was not permitted to contact the Lebanese embassy representative. She was only provided with a flight ticket back to Lebanon.
Sazdell commented on her deportation on social media that the public decency law in Kuwait is not clear enough and it has many vague sentences that need more specifics to avoid any misunderstanding in the future. Sazdell elaborated that the current version of the law opens the door for misinterpretation. She also highlighted that no one warned her or alerted her on this issue before and the procedures should start with a warning and explanation, not direct deportation.
Deportation of Sazdell created a debate on social media platforms about personal freedoms and infringements on freedom of expression in Kuwait. Some criticized the content that the anchor is publishing and considered it inappropriate. While others consider the deportation a breach of personal freedom and that the authorities shouldn’t put limitations on people’s rights and freedoms as long as it doesn’t harm anyone. Terms like public interest and public decency are vague and could easily mislead the public and restrict their rights.
Limitations on dress code is a practice that authoritarian countries like Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Afghanistan are imposing on women to control their lives and limit their rights. Deporting Sazdell comes amidst a crackdown on women in the middle east due to their social media posts like what happened with the TikTok influencers in Egypt who are imprisoned for posting content “ violating family values”
Sazdell is a presenter on Marina FM and lived in Kuwait for 10 years before she was deported. She is also an Instagram influencer. The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns the deportation of Sazdell and using vagueness to infringe personal freedoms and we call upon the Kuwaiti authorities to refrain from targeting women presenters and to review the public decency law and clarify the vagueness without compromising personal rights.
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The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world, and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.
Follow us on Instagram @womeninjournalism and Twitter @CFWIJ. Our website is WomenInJournalism.org and we can be reached at press@womeninjournalism.org
Read our statement in Arabic
