KUWAIT : A leading Islamist member of parliament hit back on Sunday at human rights group criticism of a crackdown by Kuwaiti authorities on men who dress as women in public.
“The law criminalising people who imitate the appearance of the opposite sex must be implemented and respected,” said Faisal al-Muslim, who heads a parliamentary committee monitoring “practices alien to Kuwaiti society.”
“Kuwait should ignore any international criticism in this respect. We call on Human Rights Watch to adopt the Kuwaiti law in dealing with such cases,” in the United States, Muslim told reporters.
The New York-based watchdog urged Kuwaiti authorities on Friday to release from prison 14 men jailed in recent months for having dressed as women in public, describing a law passed by parliament as “repressive.”
It quoted friends of the prisoners as saying the men were being subjected to “physical and psychological abuse”, including beatings, and that none had access to legal representation.
The Kuwaiti parliament, which is dominated by Islamists and conservatives, passed an amendment to the penal code in May stipulating a one-year jail term and a fine of 1,000 dinars ($3,660) for cross-dressers.
The interior ministry began implementing the law in December.
Muslim was speaking after his committee held a meeting with Interior Minister Sheikh Jaber Khaled al-Sabah to discuss how to deal with immorality cases in the Gulf state. In August, three men were jailed for a year in the United Arab Emirates for dressing as women.
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