Targeted by Kuwaiti Police, Stateless Video Blogger Calls it Quits

A video blogger known for documenting violence against stateless protesters in Kuwait has quit, writing on Twitter that authorities beat and coerced him to do so.

Under the nickname “حمقان البدون” meaning the “Angry Bedoon“, (Arabic for stateless), the blogger made a name for himself in his community for using footage of violence by riot police against stateless protesters to make videos on YouTube subtitled in English. Many of his videos were used by TV channels, being the only footage available documenting violence against stateless protesters.

His story was first reported by Alaan online newspaper with the title “The Bedoon's Minister of Information Resigns.” The move comes nearly three months after the arrest of activist Abdulhakim al-Fadhli, who is currently on hunger strike.  Al-Fadli has been sentenced to two years in jail for using Twitter to organize and mobilize protests.

7mgan wrote the following tweets on February 11, 2013, biding farewell to cyber-activism:

لا أود الإسهاب بذكر ما حدث وحصل لي من قمع وضرب بسبب إحدى الجهات الحُكومية وتوقيعي على تعهدات وتبصيمي بعدم تصميم أي فيديو

@7MGAN: I do not want to elaborate in narrating what happened to me because of of repression and beating by one of the government bodies. They made me sign pledges to not make any more videos.

ويعلم الله بأني غيرت الأرقام السرية لقناة اليوتيوب منذ أسابيع وأنا مُغمض العينين لتبقى شاهدةٌ على ما حل بنا من ظُلم وقمع

@7MGAN: God is my witness to this: I changed the passwords to my YouTube channel with blind eyes weeks ago so it would stay an evidence to the injustice and oppression against us.

سامحوني يا بدون الكويت ! ويعلم الله أن الضغط فوق طاقتي فلقد وُضعت بزاوية ضيقة جداً وحمقان عاشق المظلومين لن ينساكم أبداً

@7MGAN: I hope the stateless of Kuwait would forgive me. This is out of my hand. I was put in a sensitive position but “the angry Bedoon, lover of the oppressed” will never forget you.

 

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