Several lawmakers held the Interior Ministry responsible for the death of a citizen who was found dead three days after his family reported him missing, as well as the “smear campaign against the victim’s family” by publishing a picture of his dead body and linking the case with drug abuse.

“There are false rumors claiming that the late Nawaf Al-Mutairi was under the influence of drugs at the time of death, while the forensic examination revealed that his body was free from drugs,” said MP Musallam Al-Barrak during a press conference held at the victim’s residence in Al-Naseem. He added that the Interior Minister “is to blame for making his photograph available to the media, and failing to prosecute media outlets that spread the rumors.”

Reiterating appeals of the victim’s father to HH the Amir to prosecute the perpetrators, Al-Barrak recalled the victim’s story including the last call to made his family in which he said that he was hurt and bleeding. “Where is the Interior Ministry… they find him killed three days after he went missing?” Al- Barrak questioned. Meanwhile, MP Mubarak Al-Waalan warned that the case could entice revenge crimes if authorities fail to enforce the law.

“The responsibility is huge as the ministry must not differentiate between people in enforce the law,” he said. MP Khalid Al-Tahous argued that the victim’s family cannot be blamed “if they sought help from someone instead of the Interior Ministry who took no responsibility in learning about Nawaf’s death.”

MP questions efforts

MP Dr Waleed Al-Tabtabaei believes that Kuwait is not taking serious measures to protect citizens in Lebanon against potential kidnapping compared to other gulf states. “Qatar threatens to expel all Lebanese workers if a single Qatari citizen is kidnapped in Lebanon, while Kuwait issues 100 visas everyday to the Hezbollah group,” Al-Tabtabaei argued in a recent statement. Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry has already issued a warning against traveling to Lebanon, and is coordinating with the Kuwaiti embassy to repatriate citizens as soon as possible.

MAIA’s allowances

The Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs (MAIA) will pay allowances and salary increases to 1,631 staff members, Fareed Amadi Acting Undersecretary said in a recent statement. The financial privileges will be paid retroactively from April 1, 2012, the date on which the decision was enforced by the Civil Service Commission. Since then, 199 ministry employees have benefited from the increases, Amadi indicated