Kuwaiti Muslim Brotherhood politician refuses charges against UAE

ABU DHABI // A Kuwaiti Muslim Brotherhood politician has refused to accept charges that he insulted leaders of the UAE, the Federal Supreme Court has heard.

Mubarak Al Duwailah, who is being tried in his absence, is accused of publicly insulting Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, on Al Majlis TV, Kuwait’s official parliament channel, last December.

Kuwaiti authorities arrested him before releasing him on bail one day later.

On Monday, the court heard that the defendant had refused to accept the charges put to him via the Kuwaiti Public Prosecution. Hence, he still refused to appear at court in Abu Dhabi.

At a hearing of the Federal Supreme Court in June, Al Duwailah was named as a felon after he had failed to appear in court.

Al Duwailah had claimed Sheikh Mohammed was “hostile towards the Sunni doctrine, which is a pretext for Sunni extremists to threaten his life”.

The prosecution said such a statement implies that Sheikh Mohammed was not neutral to all people.

They said Al Duwailah abused religion to promote ideologies that stirred discord, harmed national unity and the peacefulness of society.

He also used the TV channel to spread information that put national security at risk, while also putting employees at the channel at the risk of aggression from others.

It was said he purposely broadcast false information about the sedition trial of 2012, where he said the group had been “framed”.

A verdict will be announced on October 12.