Kuwait’s public prosecutor on
Thursday ordered the release on bail of the remaining 24 protesters held over
the storming the Gulf Arab state’s parliament last month, one of their lawyers
said.
Thirty two people had been
detained after protesters forced their way into the parliament chambers in
November demanding that Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser al-Mohammad al-Sabah quit
over allegations of corruption, which he denies.
“The public prosecution
office ordered their release on a bail of KD1,000 ($3,600) each,” said lawyer
Faisal al-Thufairy.
Eight of those held have already
been freed on bail.
Sheikh Nasser and his government
resigned on Monday, bowing to escalating demands by protesters and opposition
deputies that he step down.
Kuwait’s emir named outgoing
Defence Minister Sheikh Jaber al-Mubarak al-Sabah as new prime minister, and asked
him to form a government.
It was not clear whether those
freed on bail would still be prosecuted. Thufairy said he wanted the legal
proceedings to remain in place.
“I’m against the idea of them
getting pardoned, because we as lawyers want to prove that they are not
guilty… Pardoning them does not erase the alleged crime,” he said.
The storming of parliament
followed a request filed by a group of lawmakers to question the prime
minister. The request was blocked by the cabinet in a move decried as unconstitutional
by the opposition.
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