Suspects in the assault of Kuwaiti femal student found innocents
Kuwait, Politics, 6/20/2000

Last Monday in the justice palace in Kuwait, the criminal court found innocent seven suspects accused of assaulting a female student at the faculty of commercial studies.

The court stated that the seven Islamic suspects, one of whom was tried in absentia, are innocent from the 6 accusations pressed against them in the assault accident on the 20 years old student on the 6th of last April.

These accusations comprised assault, theft of mobile phone, kidnapping and conspiring to commit a crime.

The court refused a civil lawsuit for compensation that was raised by the woman's family of 5001 dinars.

The woman informed the police in the beginning that a group of religious men intercepted her on way to college and assaulted her and cut her hair for not wearing a veil.

This aroused reactions in the Kuwait and in the local press but the investigation showed that the matter took place when the girl was escorting a young man in a horse stable in the dessert outside the city.

Nawaf El-Motairi, the lawyer who defended two of the suspects said in press declarations last week that he expects variation in the woman's account of events about the incident, and that confessions were taken from the suspects according to which the court found them innocent. He added that the law states that convictions require having clear evidence which did not exist in this case.

He said this case is political and not criminal and blamed those who are against Islamists in the country for wanting "to create embarrassing situation" against those who are promoting religious trends, adding that they are doing so "through their poison writings in some newspapers and by other means."

The government indicated that an extremist religious group is behind the accident and the Kuwaiti newspapers published information that the suspects have been practicing for years the state's authority in chasing and punishing those whom they believe are committing sins.

Islamic deputies in the Kuwaiti parliament strongly objected to publishing the photo and names of the suspects in the newspapers.

Previous Stories:
  Fire opened in Kuwait against an empty Huseineyeh   (4/13/2000)
  Kuwaiti court to issue verdict on women's rights   (4/6/2000)
  Four Kuwaiti Islamic movements demand formation of new government   (3/10/2000)
  Kuwaiti parliament postpones voting on women's political rights decree   (11/18/1999)

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