Controversial figure Mohammad Al-Juwaihel was released on bail yesterday in a case in which he is charged with slander over insulting remarks he reportedly made on Twitter about the Mutair tribe.

Al-Juwaihel, who won parliamentary membership after running in the annulled 2012 elections from the third constituency, was being held at the central jail pending investigations carried out by the Public Prosecution, who had received the case from the Interior Ministry’s Criminal Investigations Department. Al-Juwaihel denies the accusations, claiming that his account was hacked by a user located in Lebanon.

Recent reports indicated that Al-Juwaihel had stopped taking his heart medication to protest his imprisonment.

New case

The Kuwaiti government has taken legal action against a member of the annulled 2012 parliament, Dr. Mohammad Al-Turaiji. The government is accusing him of “damaging the national economy” over inquiries made to Minister of Commerce and Industry Anas Al-Saleh, as well as appeals to HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mabarak Al-Sabah to “stop improper appointments in the Capital Market Authority”.

In an announcement yesterday on Twitter, Al-Turaiji said: “When we ask about suspicions of corruption in appointing candidates to leading posts with astronomical salaries, we are accused of damaging the national economy, while those who steal our country’s wealth and deprive qualified personnel from opportunities are left unasked.” Al-Turaiji further claimed that the charge is “part of a plot to eliminate those who embarrassed the government with their monitoring role”.

Unions warning

A labor union or nongovernmental organization that takes part in mass gatherings or demonstrations regarding topics other than their fields of specialty will immediately be dissolved, said sources with knowledge of recent instructions released by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor.The stipulation, however, does not affect union members who participate individually, though “a body represented by a person will be subjected to prosecution”.

The Majority Bloc, which is a coalition of oppositionists who dominated majority seats in the annulled 2012 parliament, reportedly invited labor unions and NGOs to take part in demonstrations they plan to stage. The demonstrations are in protest of the Cabinet’s decision to refer the electoral law to the constitutional court.

Police assaulted

Special task forces were summoned to control a quarrel that took place yesterday morning at the Farwaniya Hospital between feuding youths.

Medical staff reportedly called police immediately after a group of teenagers stormed the hospital to attack others who arrived for treatment of injuries sustained during their initial fight. Police officers summoned special task forces after failing to control the chaos inside the hospital, which extended to the clinics’ external building. Multiple cases of assaulting police officers were reported during the incident.

Higher studies’ registration

Kuwait University’s Faculty of Higher Studies announced that from September 2, 2012 to December 13, 2012 the University will accept applications from graduates of other universities wishing to continue their graduate studies at KU for the 2013-2014 academic school-year.

Separately, a group of female students, who are set to take part in the Arab Schools Sports Tournament, leave Kuwait this Friday for the Czech Republic. The students will participate in a training camp in preparation for the tournament that is to be hosted by Kuwait.