Freedoms tested as journo jailed

Well it seems like the proverbial is hitting the fan - see article below reproduced from Kuwait Times today, and the word is out in the blogosphere. Hopefully the message is getting through that the State (In)Security Police need to toe the line and uphold the laws of the State... For Bashar and Jassem's sakes I hope the publicity of their experiences produces reform. It is worth noting that this is only one of many unpublicised cases. Bravo guys for standing up and not being intimated.

Headline News
Freedoms tested as journo jailed
Published Date: August 21, 2007
By Nawara Fattahova, Staff writer

KUWAIT: A Kuwaiti journalist remained in detention yesterday after being transferred from State Security to the Public Prosecution. Bashar Al-Sayegh was arrested by state security officials Saturday evening over comments insulting to HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah which were posted on Sayegh's personal website www.alommah.org. Late Monday evening, more than a hundred protestors comprising journalists, human rights activists, MPs and others converged at the premises of the National Democratic Coalition in Rawda in a unanimous show of solidarity against the actions of the state security forces.

The comments on Sayegh's were posted anonymously and according to reports, deleted by Sayegh 15 minutes after going live. Sayegh, a senior editor with Al-Jarida, provided the IP address of the anonymous poster to state security, but is now being investigated by the public prosecution. Sayegh is also a member the National Democratic Coalition. Rumors suggested that he had gone on a hunger strike but this could not be confirmed. Al-Jarida is owned by liberal MP Mohammad Al-Saqer.

A second Al-Jarida journalist, Jassem Al-Qames, was also taken into custody Saturday in front of the newspaper's headquarters. According to Al-Jarida, Qames tried to stop the arrest of -Sayegh, not knowing that the men, who were in civilian clothing, were from State Security. He then took photographs of the arrest, triggering his own detention. "When I took pictures, six detectives rushed to me and detained me. Then they pushed me towards three cars of state security," said Qames. He asked for their credentials, but according to him, they refused.

Qames claimed in the paper that the detectives assaulted him in the car on the way to state security headquarters in South Surra. He said the detectives took his mobile phone, camera, and wallet and before they arrived, one of detectives forced him to take off his shirt, then twisted it around his eyes and face. At the headquarters, he was taken into a room and interrogated, slapped and insulted and shouted at. Al-Qames said he was forced to sign a document with his fingerprints, even though he was blindfolded. He was released yesterday.

The speakers attending the protest in Rawda expressed their anger and dissent against the policies and maltreatment of the journalists by state security detectives. All of them demanded the immediate release of Sayegh and also agreed to unmask the person responsible for posting the insulting comment online.

MP Ahmad Al-Saadoun expressed his fears on the treatment meted towards young men involved in crimes at the hands of state security detectives. "I call for eliminating the State Security Department. We must find out who was behind this arrest, and he must be punished. We will not accept a repetition of this crime in the future. We must fight corruption," he charged.

Qames, the journalist who was released yesterday, didn't describe the details of his arrest at the gathering. "They released me in the heat without my mobile and just said "go". I was kidnapped by professional bandits who brought me to the State Security Department with my eyes blindfolded. They beat me up and told me that they had also brought Bashar's personal effects there. They thought they could threaten me so I wouldn't talk. They were wrong. I can now say whatever I want, and all these people here will support me," he said.

Qames also mentioned the plight of bedoons and even Kuwaitis arrested by the State Security Department. "They don't have anybody to ask about them. They have no protection and most of them are treated in the most inhumane way. I also was arrested in an illegal way, for just taking a photograph of the illegal arrest. We hope Bashar will be released tomorrow, and he will tell us the details," he added.

MP Ahmad Al-Mulaifi, who had just arrived in Kuwait, was shocked by the terrifying news of the arrest of the two journalists. "I'm disappointed with our present situation. Kuwait has always been known for its democracy and freedom of the media. We could criticize the parliament, the government and even our sheikhs. All our neighbors in the GCC countries used to look up on us as the ideal model of freedom. Now they consider us as a bad example," he pointed out.

He also highlighted the importance of punishing those responsible. "I know the detectives were employees and doing their work, but they will still be held responsible in the way they executed their duties. The Minister of Interior is to be held responsible for this action, and he must be held accountable for insulting Jassem and Bashar. Today I want to direct a message to the minister: Take care, you crossed the red line. We must all fight in upholding the respect of the constitution," he warned.

Kuwait's blogosphere was alive with debate and commentary about the arrests. In both Arabic and English, bloggers voiced fears of a crackdown on their freedoms of speech and protested the detentions.

The Kuwait Society for Human Rights (KSHR) issued a statement condemning the assault and detention of the journalists. "We live in a state that is governed by laws and has a clear and straightforward constitution that bans such practices, according to Article 31," said the statement, adding that the article states that, "no subject is to be arrested, detained, inspected nor his liberty to live or move around, should be violated unless in accordance to law".

The statement stressed that KSHR does not call for leniency with those jeopardizing the state's security nor violating its laws; it rather emphasizes adhering to rules, laws and regulations mentioned in Kuwait's constitution. "Law enforcers should stick to the authorities invested in them," the statement said. (Hussain Al-Qatari contributed to this report)