The Kuwait government has banned amateur photographers from using digital SLR cameras in public, according to a growing number of reports.

The country?s Ministry of Information, Ministry of Social Affairs and Ministry of Finance have ruled that photography should be used for ?journalism purposes only?, according to a report in the Kuwait Times.

Mohammed Al-Eisa told the paper that he first experienced difficulties when taking pictures of people in public a decade ago, and has since opted for wildlife and still life photography instead. ‘I started facing problems the very first day I bought my camera,’ he said.

Amateur Photographer contacted the Kuwait Embassy in London for an explanation but had yet to receive a reply at the time of writing.