KUWAIT CITY, Nov 25, (Agencies): Some 20 Kuwaiti opposition activists detained for storming Parliament went on hunger strike on Friday to protest against “illegal and oppressive detention,” and maltreatment.

The announcement came in a statement posted on Twitter by the activists’ supporters immediately after the Public Prosecutor extended the detention of 31 activists until Saturday for further investigation.
The Public Prosecutor decided to “detain the 31 activists until late Saturday to resume interrogations,” Al-Humaidi Al-Subaei, coordinator of the opposition defence team, said.

Subaei said on Thursday that the activists were being questioned on charges of damaging public property, storming Parliament, illegal procession, and assaulting police and others, for which they “face a jail term of between six months and life.”

The Twitter statement claimed that the activists were being improperly detained as they were kept in cells normally used for criminals, prevented from contacting their relatives and were charged collectively.
Hundreds of supporters spent the night outside the Palace of Justice in Kuwait City in temperatures of eight degrees Celsius (46 Fahrenheit), cold for the country.

They planned to gather again late Friday in a show of solidarity with the detainees.
The detained activists include a former MP, academics, doctors and writers.

Ahmad Al-Thayedi, the first university professor to be detained in the case, told AFP minutes before handing himself in on Thursday that the “whole issue has been politicised.”

Hundreds of opposition activists stormed the seaside Parliament building on Nov 16 after clashes with riot police that followed a large protest demanding the resignation of the prime minister and the dissolution of Parliament.

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, on Sunday called the incident a “black day” for Kuwait.

The country has seen mounting tension between the government, which is dominated by members of the ruling Al-Sabah family, and the opposition.

The opposition bloc of 20 of the 50 members of Parliament called on Thursday for Interior Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Humoud Al-Sabah to resign over police beating of activists.

The opposition has also accused Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, a senior member of the ruling family, of transferring public funds into his overseas bank accounts. The government has denied the charge.

Meanwhile, two citizens, Fahd Al-Kandari and Ahmed Al-Enezi, were taken into custody at the Kuwait International Airport Thursday while allegedly attempting to leave the country while many others have handed themselves over to the concerned authorities. These people were wanted by law for breaking into the National Assembly building during an opposition rally last Wednesday at the Erada Square, reports Al-Seyassah daily quoting security sources.

The sources added by these arrests the number of people in police custody has arisen to 46.
Meanwhile security sources said the number of the accused exceeds 150 people based on the security and criminal evidence reports.

In another development, protesters and opposition lawmakers have continued to camp in front of the Justice Palace.

The suspects were shown pictures in which they are seen at the scene of the incident, but they said they were just trying to make their voices heard. The youths claimed that the gate of the building was opened and a senior officer chased them inside.

Opposition lawmakers, who gathered in front of the palace, said the government is abusing legal proceedings and alleged that it is resorting to repression and is violating human rights. They also called on the Speaker of the National Assembly Jassem Al-Khorafi to display similar enthusiasm in the multimillion dinar deposit scandal.

Meanwhile, lawyer Al-Humaidi Al-Subaei told reporters that after he left the office of the director of the prosecution, some of the detainees he met denied being tortured. He reassured families of detainees that the judiciary remains the last hope of the citizens and that there was no cause for alarm.

Another lawyer Mohammad Al-Mutairi expressed surprise on learning that blood samples were taken from detainees, saying such procedures are taken only when the case is related to drugs and reckless driving.

Furthermore, some of the political detainees claimed that the charges brought against them were bogus and untrue. Some of them have 13 charges against them, which could win them life imprisonment. They complained about the place in which they are being held, saying it lacks the minimal requirements. They described the place as prison for criminals and said when the condition of one of the youths worsened, he was taken to Mubarak Hospital, chained in the leg and arm. They said all attempts to place calls to their families have failed and that they are completely cut off from the world.