KUWAIT CITY // Kuwaiti police fired teargas and stun grenades to disperse an opposition rally demanding the release of prominent dissident Musallam Al Barrak, activists said on Thursday.
The public prosecutor on Wednesday ordered Mr Al Barrak, a former opposition MP, to be held for 10 days after he was questioned for allegedly insulting the judiciary.
His lawyer, Thamer Al Jadaei, is expected to file a petition on Thursday to demand the detention period be scrapped.
Thousands of people gathered at Mr Al Barrak’s residence southwest of Kuwait City on Wednesday night and marched on the nearby jail where the former opposition leader was detained.
Police intervened when hundreds of protesters reached the prison, firing teargas and stun grenades to disperse them. There were no reports of any casualties.
Smaller protests were also reportedly staged in other parts of the Gulf state.
Kuwaitis hold rallies at night because of soaring temperatures in the day and also because Muslims are observing the fasting month of Ramadan during the day.
The opposition leader was accused of slandering and insulting the supreme judicial council and its chairman, Faisal al-Marshed, in remarks made at a public rally on June 10.
Opposition groups strongly criticised the action taken against him, saying it was unlawful and “politically motivated”.
* Agence France-Presse
