Kuwait's Prosecutor-General Hamed Al-Othman Monday received attorney Mubarak Al-Mutawa, lawyer for Sheikh Hamid Al-Ali, former preacher of the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs and former Secretary-General of the Salafi Movement, who is in State Security custody since Saturday. During the meeting, Al-Mutawa requested the Prosecutor-General to allow Sheikh Hamid's lawyers to appear with him before the prosecution. He also requested Al-Othman to release Sheikh Hamid on any guarantee because he is a Kuwaiti and his home address is known to the authorities.Al-Mutawa also told the Prosecutor-General the case against his client is a human rights issue. He added what Sheikh Hamid had said could have been misunderstood by some youths who behaved irresponsibly and Sheikh Hamed cannot be held responsible for their behaviour. Al-Mutawa asked Al-Othman not to ask for a 21 days detention for Sheikh Hamid because he is ready to appear before the prosecution whenever summoned. He added the case against Hamid is relevant to human rights and "we do not want someone to say that human rights are violated in the State of Kuwait," said the lawyer.
Al-Mutawa added some lawyers had volunteered to defend Sheikh Hamid and the defence team had agreed to meet later to coordinate their efforts. Two MPs, Dr Waleed Al-Tabtabaei and Abdullah Akash, also visited the Prosecutor-General for the same reason. However, they discussed the matter with Al-Othman from a national point of view since they are members of Parliament and Sheikh Hamid is a well-known personality whose detention could cause frustration among his followers.