In this April 16, 2009 file photo, the Kuwait city skyline is seen through the haze of a sand storm in Shuwaikh, Kuwait City.

The lawyer for a former Kuwaiti government minister jailed over an article critical of government spending says he has been released pending appeal.

Saad bin Tefla was arrested Saturday after being found guilty in absentia of insulting Finance Minister Anas al-Saleh in a 2012 article. Bin Tefla previously served as minister of information and publishes the popular Alaan news site.

Lawyer Alhumaidi al-Subaie says bin Tefla was released Monday ahead of an appeals hearing on Feb. 2. Hundreds of protesters have gathered at his house since his arrest.

Separately, Human Rights Watch says former liberal lawmaker Saleh al-Mullah was released on bail Sunday pending a court hearing on Feb. 15. He was detained last week over tweets criticizing the Arab Gulf country’s ruler and his government’s support for Egypt’s president.

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