MP Muwaizri questions 'plot' on Speaker's life

KUWAIT: The father of one of the cadets who died during training at the military academy yesterday filed a complaint at the National Assembly Human Rights Committee demanding a probe, a member of the committee said. MP Adel Al-Damkhi said that the committee will summon top officials including the minister and the chief of staff to a meeting to review the circumstances of the death of the cadets.

But he said that the panel's investigation will focus on the humanitarian conditions surrounding the case and similar previous cases as a fully-fledged investigation is being carried out by a government committee. Two cadets have died during training allegedly under harsh training conditions that included making the cadets train under the scorching heat of the sun for hours. The incident also resulted in several injuries including one in critical condition. MPs have called for a stringent investigation into the incident and similar previous cases while the Defense Ministry has suspended 11 senior officers until the outcome of the investigation.

In another development, Damkhi said that around 26 MPs have reached a provisional agreement on a draft law calling for a general amnesty for a number of opposition MPs and activists who were handed jail sentences for storming the National Assembly building during a protest in late 2011. Opposition MPs have been pressing to pass the law as soon as possible to allow two lawmakers Jamaan Al-Harbash and Waleed Al-Tabtabai to retain their seats in the Assembly. The two in addition to several former MPs and activists are outside of Kuwait waiting for the amnesty legislation to be approved or if the Amir scraps the sentences.

Opposition MP Shuaib Al-Muwaizri meanwhile, sent a series of questions to the Interior and Foreign ministers about an alleged plot on the life of Assembly Speaker Marzouk Al-Ghanem. Muwaizri said that on August 26, Ghanem told reporters in the Assembly about a meeting that took place at an apartment in London by unnamed Kuwaitis that discussed a plot against the Speaker. The lawmaker added that three days later, a Kuwaiti electronic news website called Derwaza claimed that the London meeting discussed a plot against the life of the Speaker.

Muwaizri asked the Interior Minister if the ministry was approached by Ghanem with regards to the alleged plot or if the ministry gathered information about the sensitive issue. He demanded details about the allegations and asked if the Ministry has informed the Foreign Ministry about the case. Muwaizri said if the Ministry did not take any move regarding the allegations he wanted to know why since the issue is very serious.

By B Izzak