A Kuwaiti Criminal Court rejected on Sunday an appeal filed by a Kuwaiti man who was sentenced to 17 years in prison for assaulting an Egyptian national in the Gulf state in 2017.

In 2018, a court sentenced the Kuwaiti man to prison for assaulting Wahid Mahmoud Refaie at the victim's workplace in December 2017.

CCTV footage of the assault has gone viral, showing Refaie being attacked and hit with an object as well as taking several punches to the face and kicks to the head.

The incident took place at a shop that sells motorcycle spare parts, after the assailant asked for an item and the victim replied that the employees were on break.

Egyptians have faced several incidents of assault by Kuwaiti citizens in recent years, and Egyptian authorities are emphasising that they are keen on protecting Egyptians abroad.