When Kuwait is a civil law state, you can be jailed

KUWAIT CITY — The U.S. Embassy in Kuwait is warning citizens against flying to the country for business because the laws are a threat to freedom of expression.

The State Department on Thursday warned citizens to avoid travel to the Gulf nation as the Kuwaiti government is considering new laws targeting civil society, including journalists.

“These are serious violations of human rights, particularly as they are being introduced on the eve of a critical UN General Assembly vote,” the embassy said in a statement.

U.S., Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have been in conflict for years, with the countries accusing each other of blocking the delivery of humanitarian aid and other supplies.

Kuwait has faced international criticism over the crackdown on the country’s citizens, who are largely Sunni Muslims who are opposed to the Shiite-led government of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

In June, Kuwait’s parliament voted to ban protests and other gatherings and restrict the media, but it has not yet taken effect.

It was not immediately clear whether the proposed new laws would affect any of the protests that have taken place across the country.