Amid Obama’s refusal to support democracy in Bahrain, GCC becomes unraveled on nation at a time

Kuwait opposition rallies outside Parliament
12 November, 2012 – Al Akhbar

A leading Kuwaiti opposition figure on Monday asked a court to allow him to travel for medical treatment ahead of his trial this week for “insulting” the emir, as tens of thousands continue to demonstrate against changes to the country’s voting law.

The request came during the first hearing in former Islamist MP Musallam al-Barrak’s trial where he faces charges of making public remarks deemed offensive to the Gulf state’s ruler, who under Kuwaiti law cannot be criticized.

If convicted, he faces a jail sentence of up to five years.

A mix of Islamist supporters, lawmakers, tribal groups and youth activists packed a square across from Kuwait’s parliament on Sunday in a peaceful rally against a new amendment to the elections law which favors pro-government candidates.

The demonstration also coincided with the 50th anniversary of Kuwait’s constitution.

It was the first in a series of recent protests against the voting amendment to take place without incident.

Last week, police locked down Kuwait City to prevent a massive rally from taking place, but demonstrators reassembled on the outskirts of the city where riot police attacked them with tear gas and sound grenades.

Dozens have been injured in other anti-government demonstrations, since the emir of Kuwait, Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, dissolved parliament on October 1 and proposed changing the voting rules.

Previously, registered Kuwaiti voters could select up to four MPs for each voting district, but the decree changed the elections process into a one non-transferable vote per voter.

The opposition, a loose coalition of Islamists, tribal factions, and various youth groups, have vowed to boycott the December 1 Parliamentary elections unless the government reverses its changes to the law.

Aside from Barrak, five other opposition MPs have been arrested on similar charges.

Falah al-Sawwagh, Khaled al-Tahus and Bader al-Dahum are to appear in court on Tuesday for allegedly insulting the emir. A fifth former lawmaker is to appear in court on November 26 while a sixth ex-MP is facing similar charges but no date has been set for his trial.

The al-Sabah family has ruled Kuwait for over 250 years. The emir, crown prince, prime minister and key cabinet ministers all hail from the ruling family. …source