PRIME MINISTER COMPLAINS ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 001498

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARPI,

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/13/2015
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM PHUM KU
SUBJECT: PRIME MINISTER COMPLAINS ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT


Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Prime Minister Shaykh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah
complained that the State Department's Human Rights Report
unfairly accused the GOK of interfering in the country's
judicial process during his April 9 meeting with the
Ambassador and visiting Senior Advisor and Coordinator for
Iraq Policy, Ambassador Richard Jones. Attempting to defend
Kuwait, the Prime Minister said that a representative of the
ICRC had visited Kuwaiti prisons and found no irregularities.


2. (C) Comment: The Report states that "the judiciary was
subject to government influence" in the context that the Amir
appoints judges, and the GOK must approve the renewal of most
judicial appointments. This type of criticism is not unusual.
LEBARON