Members Of Us Congress Call On Kuwait To Investigate Allegations Of Mistreatment Of American Prisoners

Three Democratic members of the US Congress have asked Kuwait to investigate allegations of torture and the denial of due process for American military contractors detained in Kuwait. Kuwaiti diplomatic sources denied that any torture occurred, affirming that the Kuwaiti constitution and laws prohibit torture or any other form of Degrading treatment, Al-Rai reported.

In a letter delivered to the Kuwaiti ambassador to Washington, Sheikh Salem Al-Abdullah, Senator Chris Murphy, Senator Ben Cardin, and Senator Rafael Warnock urged Kuwait to investigate these allegations.

They cited a New York Times report in October 2020, which presented allegations that US citizens were tortured and denied due process and that they are being held in substandard conditions in Kuwaiti prisons.

The members said in their message that they hope to agree that these allegations, if true, are clearly unacceptable, given the commitment of the Kuwaiti government to uphold human rights and the rule of law.

They demanded a comprehensive and public investigation into these allegations, as well as information on the cases of all American citizens imprisoned in Kuwait who were working on behalf of the US government.

On the other hand, Kuwaiti diplomatic sources confirmed that Kuwait is a state of law and that the constitution prohibits torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman, or degrading punishment, noting that the US embassy in the country had previously discussed the issue of American detainees in Kuwait. The Ministry of the Interior has assured US officials that any prisoner in Kuwait can directly contact his country’s embassy through public phones available.

The humanitarian organizations, including the Red Cross, visit Kuwaiti prisons regularly, in addition to the presence of surveillance cameras around the clock in all prisons and detention centers.

 

SOURCE : TIMES KUWAIT

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