Does Kuwait have a fair legal and political system? These issues were studied in full by an English court, considering an asylum application that was permitted on appeal by an English appellate tribunal. The conclusion reached the English Judge reached was that Kuwait's legal system falls far below international standards.
By order of the court on page 133 of the decision, the name of the appellant has been redacted for publication and replaced with that person's initials ("HAH"). The Tribunal stated that citing the individual's initials would be sufficient to give effect to the Tribunal's order.
The decision of the Tribunal, redacted with the name of the appellant but otherwise complete, is here:
(Redacted by order of the Upper Tier Immigration Tribunal - anticipated judicial review underway)
The decision of the English court reveals the persecution of political dissidents; legal persecution of those who insult the Emir or engage in political speech; and has a multitude of comments upon the "videos affair" and how the Kuwaiti authorities dealt with it. The conclusion of the court is that the videos affair was dealt with in an entirely unfair manner. Whatever other political reforms Kuwait needs, total reform to its judicial and prosecutorial branches of government is an imperative.
The results of this English court judgment - and at 134 pages (with redactions of the appellant's name) it is an extended and detailed analysis of everything wrong with the legal system in Kuwait - are breathtaking. Something must be done to change Kuwait's legal system by the political classes in Kuwait, or the country will stand as a laughing stock within the Middle East and across the world.
While the videos affair involved a massive forgery, the manner in which the Kuwait courts and political with it dealt with it remains an open disgrace. Let us hope it will be resolved sooner or later.
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