MP Abdullah Fahhad Al-Enezi

KUWAIT: Islamist opposition MP Abdullah Fahhad Al-Enezi yesterday lashed out at those who are delaying procedures regarding completing the trial of opposition activists currently jailed for storming the National Assembly building six years ago. Enezi said that the procedures have been delayed "beyond the natural" duration and asked to whose interest the delay was.

The appeals court late November sentenced 67 opposition activists, including a number of MPs, to several years in jail for storming the National Assembly after they had been acquitted by the lower court. A large number of them had been taken to jail waiting for the court of cassation to start its procedures to look into their cases. But the procedures had been delayed which means the convicts will stay longer in jail.

Enezi deplored the "deliberate" delay of the court procedures and held the government responsible for any harm that may be inflicted on the prisoners. He said that legal experts have said that the prisoners are being held hostage because they are not either freed nor sent to court.

The lawmaker said that article 34 of the constitution bans any moral mistreatment of prisoners which includes delaying their trial. He said the situation have been aggravated after a number of prisoners went on hunger strike to protest mistreatment.

In the meantime, Kuwait Society for Human Rights yesterday declared its support and backing for the prisoners who began a hunger strike. The society said the prisoners have full right to observe a hunger strike to press for human rights demands or to protest ill treatment.

Among those who went on strike is MP Waleed Al-Tabtabai who was sentenced to seven years in jail. The strikers stress that the court handed them harsh sentences without enabling them to make their defense in a proper way.

Early retirement

In another development, a controversy erupted among lawmakers yesterday over a decision by the financial and economic affairs committee to refer a draft law on early retirement to a think-tank for revision. The draft law was supposed to go before the assembly for debate and voting today. A number of angry MPs strongly criticized panel members who supported the move.

A number of MPs however said they will reject the committee decision in today's session and insist it be debated immediately. But members of the panel said their decision was purely technical to know the exact consequences of the law. They also insisted that they also support the law but want to make sure that it is studied properly. The pension fund meanwhile said the cost of the law is too high and will impact the future of the fund.

By B Izzak