KUWAIT CITY, Jan. 11: Members of parliament condemned on Tuesday the alleged fatal and brutal torture of a 32-year-old Kuwaiti citizen by investigation officers while in custody at the Ahmadi area police station at approximately 1 am Tuesday morning. The victim was allegedly involved in an alcohol smuggling and theft case.

Opposition MP, Musallam Al-Barrak, said that the citizen was in a sorry state, bleeding from his hands, feet, thighs and stomach and a stick was put in a sensitive part of his body. He said that Ahmadhi police station officers called the Kuwait Oil Company Hospital at 1:15 am informing them that a citizen was in a coma. When the ambulance arrived, he said, they found the victim bound by the feet and brutally beaten.
“The Ahmadi investigation officers exercised the worst form of torture against the citizen to make him confess until they killed him,” he said, adding that the “cowards” fled after they discovered that the victim had died.

Al-Barrak warned the Minister of Oil against participating in this criminal activity and requested him to ensure there aren’t any forgeries in the medical reports from the KOC Hospital before they reach the Ministry of Interior.

“The cowards thought they were serving Kuwait in this filthy manner. I tell all human rights organizations and the parliament, if the situation maintains this course (with the minister of interior), Kuwait will transform into a repressive police state like the state of Saddam Hussein,” he lamented.
MP Khaled Al-Tahous further added that the citizen reached the hospital already dead and a report revealed that he was severely and brutally beaten by the officers. MP Dr Ali Al-Omair requested the Minister of Interior, Sheikh Jaber Al-Khaled, to investigate the incident and hold those responsible accountable for their actions before he is held responsible instead.

Independent MP Mubarak Al-Waalan, said that it would be a disaster if the reports turn out to be true. “No matter the crime this citizen has committed, we are in a state governed by law and this is a radical approach that reminds us of the torture prisons of repressive countries,” he said, requesting an immediate investigation on the incident.

Meanwhile, various MPs condemned the lack of quorum during Tuesday’s session that was needed to vote on pending women rights laws. Liberal MP, Dr Aseel al-Awadhi said that the government has further proved that it not committed to women’s rights by delaying parliamentary sessions. However, she said, the government will not be able to hold up voting on the much needed laws any longer.

Dr Masouma Al-Mubarak also expressed her sorrow, saying that a vital opportunity to amend the Civil Services Law and the Foreign Residency Law had been lost. The amendments were agreed upon by both the legislative and executive authorities.

Speaking on the issue, Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs, Roudhan Al-Roudhan, said that he was surprised the session was hurriedly adjourned before the quorum was complete to vote on women’s laws, but expressed hope that women rights issues will progress on Wednesday. “The government was adamant to discuss the amendments agreed upon by both authorities,” he said.

The modifications on the Foreign Residency Law will exempt the children of Kuwaiti women with non-Kuwaiti fathers from sponsorship fees. They will also allow Kuwaiti women to sponsor their non-Kuwaiti husbands.

Regarding the Civil Services Law, Al-Jassar further said, the modifications will give the female Kuwaiti employee the right to obtain a social allowance if her husband cannot do so. The same goes for foreign women married to Kuwaiti men, depending on the number of children.

The Kuwaiti women can also obtain a 70-day maternity leave, apart from her annual leave, with full pay. Furthermore, an additional four month leave must be granted for maternity care with full pay, among other amendments.

Furthermore, the ‘Anything but the Constitution’ Bloc issued a formal statement on Tuesday asserting their stance against the government, calling for the prime minister to resign. The government, they say, has violated the Constitution and public freedoms. Their statement said that the government’s attack on citizens at MP Jamaan Al-Harbash’s diwaniya on Dec 8 has led them to submit the request to grill His Highness the Prime Minister, Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah.

The Bloc added that its members did not hesitate after the grilling to submit a no-confidence motion against the prime minister. Even though the motion did not acquire the majority of votes, the declaration explained, the 22 votes supporting the motion as well as public opinion should have forced the prime minister to resign. The statement was signed by 20 MPs of the 22 who voted for the no-confidence motion.

Agencies add:
The interior ministry has so far remained silent on the issue.
The independent Kuwait Society for Human Rights named the victim as Mohammad al-Mutairi and called on the interior ministry to immediately launch a probe.
“This incident constitutes a black point in Kuwait’s (human rights) record and an explicit abuse of human rights,” the organisation said in a statement.
A security source told AFP the man had been in custody for three days on charges of trading in liquor, which is totally banned in this conservative Muslim state.