Kuwaiti ex-MP guilty of insulting emir granted bailApril 22, 2013 - 18:54 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A prominent Kuwaiti opposition leader has been granted bail pending appeal against a five-year jail sentence for insulting the emir, BBC News reported. Mussallam al-Barrak, a former MP, was carried aloft out of court on the shoulders of his supporters. He had refused to turn himself in last week following the verdict, leading to violent confrontations in the streets between his supporters and police. Kuwait has cracked down on criticism of the royal family, jailing offenders. The appeals court is reviewing Barrak's conviction and sentence. As he emerged from the courthouse, Barrak told a cheering crowd: "Today the popular movement had a victory, today the people had a victory and tomorrow the constitution will have a victory." Barrak had first been detained in October on suspicion of "undermining the status of the emir". He had warned the Emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Sabah, in a speech that he would not be allowed to "take Kuwait into the abyss of autocracy". Kuwait has not witnessed the same scale of pro-democracy uprisings as in other Arab states, but there has been growing tension between former members of parliament and the government, which is dominated by the al-Sabah family. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Narek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28. Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia. Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports. Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. |