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