Detainees in Kuwait observe hunger strike in protest of maltreatment

Ten persons arrested by the Kuwaiti authorities under the charge of recruiting youths to fight the American forces in Iraq started hunger strike in protest of the maltreatment they are exposing to during their detention.

Lawyer Abdul Rahman al-Rasheidi said that his clients started a hunger strike in protest of practices they are exposed to and in order to attract the attention of the world to their case, noting they will continue their strike until investigations will be made again with them and meeting with the prime minister Sabah al-Ahmad.

Al-Rasheidi accused the security forces of "torturing the convicted persons, noting contradiction in the confessions of the ten accused men because their previous confessions came under pressures and threats by the state security men to increase torture if they do not admit before the attorney general the accusations addressed to them." He stressed he was prevented from attending the inquiry session of his clients whose nationalities he refused to disclose. The ten men were arrested together with other 11 convicted persons under charges that they were recruiting fighters to fight the American forces in Iraq.

Those men were arrested after Syria had handed over four Kuwaitis to Kuwait in July, who were arrested while trying to cross the border with Iraq " illegally." The Kuwaiti security forces also issued warrant of arrest against three accused men including Khaled al-Musawi, the chairman of the Kuwaiti society for victims of torture and oppressive detention.

While most of the Kuwaiti dailies said that the three chased men are in Kuwait, the Kuwaiti daily al-Seyasah quoted " well-informed sources that "al-Dousari was able to leave the country and sneak to Iraq." The paper added " he is now in Falluja joining al-Tawhid and al-Jihad group" which is led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.