al-Sabah is under pressure to launch a
probe into the incident.
Arab Times
Members of parliament condemned on Tuesday the alleged fatal and brutal torture of a 32-year-old Kuwaiti citizen by investigation officers while in custody at the Ahmadi area police station at approximately 1 am Tuesday morning. The victim was allegedly involved in an alcohol smuggling and theft case.
Opposition MP, Musallam Al-Barrak, said that the citizen was in a sorry state, bleeding from his hands, feet, thighs and stomach and a stick was put in a sensitive part of his body. He said that Ahmadhi police station officers called the Kuwait Oil Company Hospital at 1:15 am informing them that a citizen was in a coma. When the ambulance arrived, he said, they found the victim bound by the feet and brutally beaten.
“The Ahmadi investigation officers exercised the worst form of torture against the citizen to make him confess until they killed him,” he said, adding that the “cowards” fled after they discovered that the victim had died.
Al-Barrak warned the Minister of Oil against participating in this criminal activity and requested him to ensure there aren’t any forgeries in the medical reports from the KOC Hospital before they reach the Ministry of Interior.
“The cowards thought they were serving Kuwait in this filthy manner. I tell all human rights organizations and the parliament, if the situation maintains this course (with the minister of interior), Kuwait will transform into a repressive police state like the state of Saddam Hussein,” he lamented.
MP Khaled Al-Tahous further added that the citizen reached the hospital already dead and a report revealed that he was severely and brutally beaten by the officers. MP Dr Ali Al-Omair requested the Minister of Interior, Sheikh Jaber Al-Khaled, to investigate the incident and hold those responsible accountable for their actions before he is held responsible instead.
Independent MP Mubarak Al-Waalan, said that it would be a disaster if the reports turn out to be true. “No matter the crime this citizen has committed, we are in a state governed by law and this is a radical approach that reminds us of the torture prisons of repressive countries,” he said, requesting an immediate investigation on the incident.
LWDLIK- May he rest in peace. Maybe we could have the same outrage over maid brutality also.
It deeply saddens me to say this, but I'm not surprised.
ReplyDeleteSurely this is not the first case of police brutality? Has a post mortem been carried out and verified the allegations? I'm assuming that if the MP Barak is threatening the Minister of Oil not to forge any details then the evidence is still being collected.
ReplyDeleteWhen Kuwaitis proudly say ANA KUWAITI people really laugh at them. Everyone knows what is these ANA KUWAITIS culture & eduacation. They were not able to produce not even one world famous Doctor, Engineer or a Scientist. They are good at just two things. Father, son and brothers jumbing on the same poor maid servent and violating all civic sense and traffic laws on the road out of their ego and lack of exposure.
ReplyDeleteHi Anon- I deliberated a while over your comment thinking it way too provocative.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think trying to have the whole Kuwaiti society united, proud and loyal is a good thing.
Kuwait has many distinguished scholars (some are women like Professor Faiza Al-Kharafi, professor of chemistry in Kuwait university who just received the L’Oréal-UNESCO 2011 For Women in Science Awards for her work on corrosion, a problem of fundamental importance to water treatment and the oil industry).
Some who immediately come to mind are Dr Al Rashdan, Dr Hilal Al Sayer, Dr Abdulrahman Al Sumait, Dr Abdullatif Yousef Al Hamid, Fahed Al Askar. And the list goes on and on. No, they are not world famous - like Bill Gates - most can't even be googled (perhaps in Arabic) but ask a Kuwaiti and you'll hear the of their wonderful acheivements. Remember it's a tiny population and a new country only 50 years old.
There are many Kuwaiti philanthropists who donate large amounts to charity, build hospitals, schools, etc. Next time you pass a non-profit hospital (Al Thunayan Wing at Amiri Hospital, Mohammed Al Bahar Eye Hospital, Assad Al Hamad Dermatolgy clinic to name just a few) have a look at the name and remember it and ask a Kuwaiti about those people.
As for the maid exploitation sadly this is not just Kuwaitis - but the burden is on the Kuwaiti judicial system to bring violaters to justice. Certainly if punishment of violators were harsh then it would deter others. But lack of punishment seems to encourage cruel and inhumane acts.
And lastly I agree totally that Kuwaitis should be the first to set a good example on the roads. It is horrifying the speed and lunacy of the driving here. This blame falls directly on lack of reinforcement of traffic laws.
Thanks.
LWDLIK, that is a very well-thought out and very pacifying reply to Anonymous :) I salute you for that. :) This should be the kind of thinking that everyone should have so that people will stop thinking in race and instead start focusing on the problem and how to solve it.
ReplyDeleteLOL Anon, thank you it comes with age. It's developed over decades of experience. In my younger days I would have had a different answer. And thankfully my fingers are slower than my mouth which, many times, bypasses my brain.
ReplyDeleteI am a UK citizen and am proud to live out here in Kuwait. I have met some wonderful, warm and remarkably talented people. The issue, for me, though, is the attitude of some in positions of power and control. My wife had been to an event watching the England vs Italy Euro 2012 game. She had been drinking wine - and this is illegal in Kuwait and I do not intend to argue that she wasn't in the wrong on this. What shocked me though was that, when stopped by police on
Deletethe way home, her treatment was medieval in the extreme. Handcuffed by the ankles and dragged up the police station steps by her feet (splitting her head open and later requiring stitches), beaten so much that the doctor in the hospital insisted on taking detailed photo evidence. Her passport dissappeared in the police station and, bizarrely, her release was going to be conditional on supply of her passport.......
But we need to balance this by saying that this was the action of a few individuals. The desk officer when I arrived was a decent guy and the look of shame in his eyes was evident. The investigating officer was more concerned with not having the situation escalated - and I hope his internal investigations reflect the feeling of disgust he clearly felt with the treatment she had received in his care.
Not all people are good and not all are bad and we shouldn't paint a nation by a single brush stroke. My hope is that, those so called men who took pleasure in beating a defenseless woman, will look into themselves and their belief systems and realise that they are the reason Kuwait is ranked 76 (division 4) in the human rights league table - the same league as the Congo, Uganda etc.
But it will change, as evidenced by the Kuwaiti guy who arrived at the police station to secure her release. He paid the KD50 out of his own wallet and was offended when I insisted on re-embursing him. A truly decent individual and a glimmer of light for the future.
Dear Anon, I am sad to hear about your wife, that is horrifying. I hope she is okay and recovering from this horrible incident. Thank you for sharing this story with us it could well help others. You didn't say if she was driving or if she was in a taxi. I do hope people, if inebriated, take a taxi only the driving is crazy enough. Always wise for a woman to travel with a male companion late at night under these circumstances. Her treatment was uncalled for and cruel. It seems the kind Kuwaiti gentleman who helped you out was extremely embarrassed that his country folk could act so shamefully.
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