KUWAIT CITY, Dec 18: Two Kuwaiti citizens — Adel Al-Yahya and Raed Al-Majed — who were detained for 36 days in Iran on allegations of spying arrived in Kuwait Saturday aboard an Amiri plane.

The duo thanked HH the Amir, HH the Crown Prince, Prime Minister, and Minister of Foreign Affairs, and praised the efforts of Kuwait’s Ambassador in Tehran Majdi Al-Thafeeri who accompanied them on their journey back home. Al-Yahia and Al-Majed asserted that they were not ill-treated by Iranian authorities.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled said HH the Amir was closely following the condition of the two Kuwaiti citizens and had ordered that everything necessary be done to secure their release. He added that the Iranian authorities were cooperative.

Al-Yahia, in a statement, said until Saturday afternoon he did not have any hope of being released and added that he thought no one knew about him and his colleague. “I will not forget the 33 days of detention before I was told by the interrogator about our first phone call with the ambassador who proved to us that we haven’t been forgotten,” said Al-Yahia.

“We went to Iran to shoot some segments for the program I present after I received a call from a person who told me that his mother is Kuwaiti and that she stayed in Iran for 20 years. We went and shot the segment, and as we were shooting at a fish market, we were arrested. I think a member of the filming crew had reported us, saying that we came to shoot without permits,” explained Al-Yahia.

He added that he and his colleague were taken to a police station where they stayed for two hours before they were allowed to return to their hotel and were told that everything was cleared.

“On the next day, everything changed and we were taken from a police station to interrogation, trial and prison without knowing what was happening,” added Al-Yahia who also explained that although the court has ordered their release, the two remained in detention for 36 days with continuous interrogations. Al-Yahia pointed out that they received good treatment, “but in the end, we were in a prison.” He added that he was accused of shooting at prohibited locations.

The second detainee Al-Majed said that he did not see his colleague since the second day of their detention until the day of his release, adding that they were blindfolded whenever they were moved from one place to another.

Majed Al-Thafeeri, Kuwait’s Ambassador in Iran, said the case was highly complicated, and thanked all Iranian officials who showed an understanding of the situation.

“Although the issue lasted for a bit long, the treatment was good and there were continuous attempts to resolve the issue,” said Al-Thafeeri. If we compare the case of the two Kuwaitis to other similar cases that occurred in Iran, “we will find that we received special appreciation from the Iranian side. I hope this would reflect on the nature of relationship between Kuwaiti and Iranian people,” said Al-Thafeeri.
“Iran’s situation is more sensitive due to the circumstances it is going through currently. I call on all citizens to be careful and abide by the residency law as many countries deal sensitively with issues related to security,” said Al-Thafeeri.