News of Tabatabai's arrest in Saudi Arabia after Kuwait's release

During the past hours, news circulated about the arrest of former Kuwaiti MP Waleed al-Tabatabai in Saudi Arabia, shortly after his release from Kuwait's Central Prison, in a development that sparked a wide wave of controversy on social media platforms.

According to what was circulated, Al-Tabatabai left Kuwaiti territory by land towards the Eastern Province through the border crossing leading to Dammam, before the Saudi authorities arrested him immediately upon entering its territory. Media reports link this measure to previous positions and posts attributed to him that were described as offensive to the Kingdom, which reshed light on the course of his case, which has preoccupied public opinion in Kuwait over the past two years.

Al-Tabatabai was released from prison in Kuwait after completing two years of  a four-year prison sentence  on charges of "insulting" the country's emir, before leaving directly for Saudi Arabia, in a move that has not been officially clarified by Kuwaiti authorities.

So far, there has been no official confirmation or denial from Riyadh or Kuwait about the arrest, and neither al-Tabatabai's family nor his legal team has issued a statement clarifying his current situation, which remains circulating in the context of unconfirmed news that needs to be verified by official sources.

Who is Tabatabai?

Waleed Musaed Sayyid Yassin Al-Tabatabai is one of the most prominent faces of the Islamic movement in Kuwait, he progressed  academically until he obtained a doctorate in Islamic law from Al-Azhar University, and in addition to his academic work, he emerged as an opinion writer in Kuwaiti and Arab newspapers, and took over the editorship of the Islamic magazine Al-Furqan, which strengthened his intellectual and media presence.

Tabatabai entered political life through the gate of the National Assembly after winning the 1996 elections for the first time and later became one of the founders of the Islamic bloc within the parliament, and a prominent voice on social and legislative issues of a conservative nature.

As the popular movement escalated in 2011, he emerged as one of the leaders of the National Dignity Movement, leading a series of interrogations against ministers and prime ministers on charges related to corruption and mismanagement, cementing his image as an opposition figure.

 His political career was not without crises,  as he was convicted in the case of storming the National Assembly in 2011, and left Kuwait for Turkey for years before returning with an Amiri pardon in 2019, and he was stripped of his parliamentary membership by a decision of the Constitutional Court against the background of the sentences issued against him.

In May 2024, Tabatabai entered a new judicial confrontation after being arrested on charges related to challenging the emir's powers and defaming the princely self through social media platforms, and was sentenced to two years in prison, which he spent in full  until his release yesterday.