Muna Al-Fuzai

It was heartbreaking to read a report published by Kuwait Times regarding a young man who is being held without charge or a fair trial for two years now. According to the man's family, Ahmad had a discussion on Twitter over a religious issue with a person, and the next day he was arrested by the criminal investigations department. He hasn't returned home for more than two years. All efforts by his family went in vain and reached a dead end.

His family has been living in Kuwait since the 1960s, and clearly, they enjoy living here. Through all these years, they have adapted to life here and some of their family members were even born here. They have a natural right to be treated well and if they have broken any law, they will accept a fair punishment after normal legal procedures in court, but not in such a situation.

I believe there is no doubt that detaining anyone without charges is not only unacceptable, but inhumane, and shouldn't happen in the first place. Surprisingly, Ahmad's family is wondering why no one is able to explain why he's in jail or how long he will be kept there, because he has never faced a court or even the public prosecution or knows what precisely is his crime.

No lawyer or embassy can help him because he is not officially charged...so what is the solution? They can't just pretend he doesn't exist. His family hasn't found a solution to free him or even been given a chance to defend him in court. This is a bizarre situation indeed.

Huda, Ahmad's sister, told Kuwait Times that he is in the deportation prison for more than two years, after he spent some time at the criminal investigations department. Ahmad thinks the person who had an argument with him on Twitter is behind his incarceration. According to her, they visited several former and current members of parliament and contacted the Kuwait Human Rights Society, but without success.

I believe the society can intervene to find out the real reasons for detaining Ahmad, and I am surprised that they haven't done anything yet. Also, there is a human rights committee in the National Assembly that can investigate the issue, and if Ahmad broke the law on social media, then he must be put on trial. This is his right, and to have a lawyer to defend him, and even be sentenced to imprisonment if proven guilty. This will let his family know his crime and how many years he will be jailed.

I have to say that I have never come across such an incident in Kuwait because we all know and respect the legal procedures here. If his crime is related to violating the country's law, this doesn't mean turning a blind eye to his case or letting him rot in prison without charges or receiving a fair trial in court under everyone's eyes.

In this article, I wish to make a plea to any authority that can help this family and this person and put him on trial to face the consequences and reveal the truth behind jailing him for all this time. We are not a police state and we are all equal in the eyes of the law.

By Muna Al-Fuzai

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