Kuwait Deports Egyptian Supporters

By Brandon Kaufman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

CAIRO, Egypt– Human Rights Watch has reported that Kuwaiti forces have arrested and deported supporters of the prominent Egyptian opposition figure Mohammed ElBaradei.

Human Rights Watch has reported that three Egyptians living in Kuwait were arrested on Thursday “after they attended a small meeting of ElBaradei supporters at a local café.”  Their report further went on to say that the initial arrests led to a larger gathering of approximately 30 ElBaradei supporters who met on Friday to talk about how best to respond to the arrests a day prior.  That meeting was disrupted by members of the Kuwaiti security forces who deported more than half of the participants back to Egypt on Saturday.

According to the wife of one of the men detained, some of those arrested are still in custody.  The woman briefly saw her husband on Thursday night when four men dressed in civilian clothing brought him home and subsequently confiscated campaign T-shirts with images of Dr. ElBaradei and an Egyptian flag with the slogan “For Change” written in Arabic.

Before meeting with members of an Egyptian opposition party, ElBaradei posted on his Twitter page that “Deporting Egyptians peacefully congregating in Kuwait is a gross injustice.  I call for their immediate return on humanitarian grounds.”

Sheikh Jaber al-Khaled-al-Sabah, Kuwait’s interior minister, told Human Rights Watch on Saturday that the deported Egyptians, whose meetings were apparently arranged online, had broken the country’s laws by assembling in a group of more than 20 without a permit and by criticizing Egypt’s president.  Said Mr. Sabah, “They are visitors in Kuwait, and we look at them as visitors in Kuwait.  When somebody breaks the law, he has to go back to his country.”  We don’t allow demonstrations in this country.”

For more information, please see:

The New York Times- Kuwait Deports Critics of Egyptian President– 12 April 2010

The Washington Post- Egypt Says No Hand in Kuwait Deportations– 12 April 2010

The Associated Press- Kuwait Deports 21 Egyptian Supporters of ElBaradei– 11 April 2010

Author: Impunity Watch Archive