US embassy cable - 05KUWAIT2258

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 07 KUWAIT 002258 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARPI 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/04/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, KISL, PTER, KLIG, KJUS, PHUM, ASEC, KU, ISLAMISTS, TERRORISM 
SUBJECT: FOUR OUT OF FIVE KUWAITI LAWYERS AGREE: SYSTEMIC 
LEGAL FLAWS HAMPER JUSTICE 
 
REF: A. KUWAIT 2174 
     B. KUWAIT 1908 
     C. KUWAIT 1308 
     D. KUWAIT 1299 
     E. KUWAIT 1192 
     F. 04 KUWAIT 1600 
     G. 04 KUWAIT 1042 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1. (C) Summary and Comment: An examination of many recent 
legal cases, discussions with Kuwaiti attorneys of all 
political stripes, and an overview of basic legal codes and 
procedures reveals significant flaws in Kuwait's judicial 
system.  According to several lawyers, the system suffers 
from a combination of inadequate laws, insufficient 
enforcement of existing laws, a lack of judicial oversight, 
and the societal problem of "wasta" - influence peddling.  An 
examination of cases in the last year revealed that a 
significant number of convicted militants and militant 
supporters have received noticeable courtroom leniency, with 
few receiving any meaningful jail time.  On the other hand, 
writers and activists have been treated relatively harshly 
for their written or spoken words, although none have been 
imprisoned.  While there have been enough lenient rulings 
favoring Islamic conservatives and extremists to suggest the 
existence of a judicial preference for religious and tribal 
conservatives, this bias, according to most of the lawyers 
with whom PolOff met, owes more to a lack of judicial 
oversight and the presence of wasta than a systematic intent 
by most magistrates to favor Islamists.  Such leniency also 
exists, in great part, because Kuwait's legal system does not 
adequately address many internationally-recognized crimes 
such as membership in a terrorist organization, weapons 
trafficking, and violent jihad committed in foreign 
countries.  For many suspected criminal actions, there is 
either no law against these acts or, if one exists, 
sentencing standards allow for little more than a legal slap 
on the wrist.  The current trial of a large number of 
jihadists, for which the GOK is requesting harsh sentences, 
will test this thesis. 
 
2. (C) Many in Kuwaiti society recognize that the judicial 
system is in need of improved laws, training, oversight, and 
institutional safeguards against corruption.  Because neither 
the obstructive National Assembly nor the Al-Sabah-led 
government is likely to muster the political will to pursue 
serious legal reform, it is unlikely that changes will take 
place in the near term. End Summary and Comment. 
 
Overview Of The Judicial System 
------------------------------- 
 
3. (U) Kuwait's judicial system is based on a combination of 
Islamic law, English common law, and French and Ottoman civil 
codes. The current Penal Code was drafted by a group of 
judges from Egypt, Sudan, Iraq, and France and is heavily 
derived from French civil code.  Its criminal law section is 
based on Napoleonic law which allows for the loosest 
interpretation of a suspect's intent of action, a point upon 
which cases are routinely dismissed in Kuwaiti courts when 
"intent" to commit a crime is not proven.  The Kuwaiti 
Constitution provides for an independent judiciary and the 
right to a fair trial.  Articles 162-173 of the Constitution 
outline the general principles of the judiciary.  Article 2 
of the Kuwaiti Constitution states that "the religion of the 
State is Islam and the Islamic Shari'a shall be a main source 
of legislation." 
 
4. (U) There are no jury trials in Kuwait and the Amir has 
the constitutional authority to pardon or commute any 
sentence.  There is also no requirement or tradition for 
legal precedent on rulings.  By law, criminal trials are 
public unless the GOK determines that the issue is sensitive 
and necessitates a closed trial.  Secular courts allow anyone 
to testify and the testimony of men and women is considered 
equal.  In family courts, however, the testimony of a man is 
equal to that of two women. 
 
The Kuwaiti Court System 
------------------------ 
 
5. (U) Defendants have the right to confront their accusers 
and to appeal verdicts.  Defendants in felony cases are 
required by law to be represented in court by an attorney, 
which the courts provide in criminal cases.  Kuwait's Bar 
Association is required, upon court request, to appoint an 
attorney without charge for indigent defendants in civil, 
commercial, and criminal cases.  Almost all indigent criminal 
defendants ask for and receive free counsel. 
 
6. (U) Although there are several divisions of courts to 
adjudicate civil disputes including traffic, family, and 
administrative courts, the general Kuwaiti judicial structure 
through which all criminal cases must pass is a three-tiered 
system that includes at least one Summary Court and, if a 
case is contested, up to two levels of appellate courts. 
(Note: There are several other special courts including the 
Constitutional Court, which, although empowered to, rarely 
engages in judicial review.  There is also a Martial Court in 
the event the Amir declares martial law. End Note.) 
- (U) Court of First Instance (Al-Mahkamah Al-Kuliya) - As 
the first level or Summary Court in the system, this court 
hears all disputes, i.e. all cases examined for the first 
time, including civil, commercial, administrative, labor 
disputes, as well as all violent criminal and state security 
cases.  As of October 1995, all judgments were made by a 
panel of three judges.  Both defendants and plaintiffs may 
appeal verdicts to an appellate court. 
 
- (U) Court of Appeals (Mahkamah Al-Istenaf Al-Aliya) - After 
a ruling has been made at the first level, any appeal must be 
referred to this court.  It is composed of a three 
judge-panel appointed by the board of the general assembly of 
the court.  This court may rule not only on whether the law 
was applied properly, but also on the guilt or innocence of 
the defendant.  Appellate rulings may be further appealed to 
the Court of Cassation. 
 
- (U) Court of Cassation (Supreme Court of Appeals) (Mahkamah 
Al-Tameez) - A final appeal can be made to the Court of 
Cassation which is presided over by a five-judge panel.  This 
court conducts a limited and formal review of cases to 
determine only whether the law was applied properly. 
 
7. (U) A panel of judges, not a jury, determines the guilt or 
innocence of a defendant.  According to Article 163 of the 
Constitution, judges are not subject to any authority. 
However, the Amir appoints all judges and the GOK must 
approve the renewal of all non-citizen judicial appointments. 
 Kuwaiti judges have lifetime appointments while non-citizen 
judges, most of whom are Egyptian, serve one-to three-year 
contracts.  Post has heard differing accounts regarding the 
exact number and citizenship of judges in the Kuwaiti court 
system.  There are at least several hundred judges and 
roughly half are non-citizens. 
 
From Interior to Justice: Misdemeanors and Felonies 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
8. (C)  Both misdemeanor and felony cases begin their journey 
through the legal system with police officers, followed by 
routine involvement of investigators, and finally ending up 
in the hands of the prosecutors.  Misdemeanors carry a 
sentence of less than three years while felonies have a 
sentence of more than three years.  It is the investigating 
police officer taking the complaint who decides whether or 
not a case is handled as a misdemeanor or felony according to 
sentencing guidelines.  Misdemeanor cases are dealt with by 
Interior Ministry investigators and felony cases by Justice 
Ministry investigators.  All investigators and prosecutors 
have law degrees and police officers are permitted to seek 
their guidance to determine whether or not a case should be 
classified as a misdemeanor or felony.   When a case reaches 
the Public Prosecutor's office, it is then fully under the 
control of the Ministry of Justice -- the Public Prosecutor 
is an independent agency underneath the Ministry of Justice 
and is designed to operate as an autonomous body.  (Note: 
According to Sahab Abdalrazik Al Daey, Chief Investigator for 
the Kuwaiti Police, there can be a problem with corruption 
because officers are poorly paid.  The resulting graft, he 
explained, routinely leads to the "downgrading" of felony 
cases to misdemeanor status. End Note.) 
 
Pre-Trial Detention 
------------------- 
 
9. (SBU) Once arrested for criminal a act, a person can be 
detained by the police for 20 days without charge. 
Extensions can be granted by the court in two-week 
increments, up to a maximum of six months.  At most, a 
suspect can be held for four days at a police station, but 
thereafter must be transferred to the Central Prison for 
continued detention and investigation.  This scenario applies 
to all criminal cases handled by the police.  During the 
recent terror case investigations related to the January 2005 
shoot-outs, the cases were handled directly by Kuwait State 
Security (KSS).  KSS can hold a suspect for a maximum of four 
days.  If it cannot make a case against the suspect in four 
days, it must pass the case to a separate MOI investigator's 
office or release the accused without charge.  If KSS does 
have sufficient grounds to charge, it then passes the case to 
the Public Prosecutor's office for trial.  (Note: From 1991 
to 1995, KSS had the ability to try state security offenses 
but that ability was abolished after international complaints 
of unfair trial procedures and standards, particularly as 
applied to those accused of collaboration with the Iraqi 
invaders. End Note) 
 
Legal Expert: Leniency For Militants Due To Gaps In Law 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
10. (SBU) Dr. Faisal Al-Kandari, Assistant Professor of 
Criminal Law and head of the Criminal Law section at Kuwait 
University's Faculty of Law Department, told PolOffs that 
judges need more training, especially, he said, the judges 
serving on the Court of First Instance.  Saying that judges 
in general need more competency, he remarked "a judge issues 
sentences depending on his convictions."  As to what training 
was needed for judges, he listed understanding the law, how 
to consider and arrive at a verdict, comparative law, ethics, 
and language. He also recommended that routine judicial 
inspections occur to ensure that judges were doing their jobs 
properly. 
 
11. (SBU) PolOff raised several examples of recent criminal 
cases that had been adjudicated in the Kuwaiti courts whereby 
defendants found guilty of insulting or defaming Islam were 
sentenced more harshly than defendants found guilty of arms 
trafficking, possessing illegal weapons, and belonging to 
militant terror organizations.  PolOff inquired whether this 
perceived imbalance was just a series of discretionary 
verdicts by individual judges or whether it was 
representative of the judicial system as a whole.  Dr. Faisal 
remarked that it was an example of the current laws and the 
way the system works and did not represent the actions of 
individual judges. 
 
12. (SBU) He added that some cases appear to be influenced by 
judges, but many are simply revealing the limits of the legal 
system.  He pointed out that the Kuwaiti militants who 
traveled to some foreign countries and committed violent 
jihad were not guilty of a violent crime in Kuwait because 
Kuwait has no law against committing such an action in a 
foreign country.  He said that in order for an action 
committed in a foreign country to be considered a crime in 
Kuwait, it must be illegal both in the country in which it 
was committed as well as in Kuwait.  He explained that 
because there was no legitimate Afghan Government, any 
militant who committed violent jihad against U.S. or 
coalition forces in Afghanistan in 2001 and early 2002 
committed no crime in the eyes of the Kuwaiti legal system. 
(Note: Although 20 extremists were convicted on May 8 by the 
Criminal Court for entering Iraq to fight U.S.-led forces, or 
providing training to others to fight there, they were not 
sentenced under a law that bans violent jihad.  Five were 
sentenced for illegally leaving Kuwait with the intention of 
fighting coalition forces in Iraq.  The rest were charged 
with training others, including teenagers, to use weapons, or 
receiving weapons training knowing it would serve an 
"illegitimate purpose."  The same court sentenced 3 Kuwaitis 
to three years in jail for illegally entering Iraq to fight 
the US-led forces and "disturbing" the relations between the 
State of Kuwait and a friendly country -- i.e. the U.S. (ref 
B).  End Note.) 
 
No Intent, No Crime 
------------------- 
 
13. (U) The issue of intent, not to be confused with motive, 
is also paramount in many criminal cases because without 
proof that a suspect intended to commit a crime, a prosecutor 
has little or no case.  Examples of the difficulties in 
proving intent are: 
 
- (SBU) Two Kuwait artillery officers were released in March 
after being detained and arrested for allegedly plotting to 
attack U.S. military forces in Kuwait during a military 
exercise in December 2004.  Although dismissed from military 
service, no formal charges were brought against the Kuwaiti 
Lieutenant Colonel and Captain, and they were released by KSS 
because of insufficient evidence and the prosecution's 
inability to prove intent.  Despite the fact that the 
prosecution had evidence of plans and motive, the case was 
unable to proceed to trial.  (Note: The Kuwaiti military has 
no legal means to try military personnel for crimes and any 
criminal suspect must be handed over to civilian courts for 
criminal trial. End Note.) 
 
- (SBU) On December 19, 2004, a 34-year-old Egyptian man who 
struck and killed with his vehicle two U.S. Army soldiers and 
injured two others, was initially accused of involuntary 
manslaughter.  The four soldiers were part of a military 
convoy which stopped in the far right lane of a highway to 
repair a flat tire on a military truck.  The Egyptian driver 
claimed he did not see the soldiers prior to hitting them and 
said he fled the scene because he feared being shot by U.S. 
soldiers.  Although the press released a story earlier this 
year stating that all charges had been dismissed against the 
driver because he had no intent to hit the soldiers, the 
investigation is still ongoing.  That said, if no intent is 
ultimately proven, the driver will almost certainly be 
released without charge. 
 
- (SBU) In February 2004, a Kuwaiti man physically assaulted 
and sexually violated his wife with an iron rod.  He was 
originally sentenced in November 2004 to 15 years on charges 
of physical assault, torture, and molestation.  An appeals 
court overturned the ruling in March 2005 and refrained from 
passing a sentence against the man citing an ill-defined 
"willingness to withdraw the case," and the possibility of 
marital reconciliation.  The defendant's lawyer argued, 
apparently convincingly, that the man did not intend to 
molest his wife when he sexually violated her and that the 
charge of molestation means there existed a sexual desire to 
molest.  Since his client did not have this desire, he 
argued, the defendant was merely acting out of anger over 
what the defendant claimed was his wife's promiscuous 
behavior. 
 
Some Extremists Receive Leniency... 
----------------------------------- 
 
14. (SBU) While many extremists and suspected militants have 
been released on minimal bail, they are all required to 
return to court for their trial at a later date.  The more 
acute examples of judicial leniency, however, come after some 
of these militants are sentenced lightly or are permitted to 
avoid serving their sentence for serious crimes by paying 
only a small fine.  It is also the case, in some instances, 
that the laws of Kuwait are inadequate to prosecute certain 
crimes. 
 
- (U) Twenty Islamic extremists, including 18 Kuwaitis, were 
sentenced by the Criminal Court on May 8 in two separate 
cases for entering Iraq to fight U.S.-led forces, or 
providing training to others to fight there. Almost all 
received three-year jail terms and some were only fined. Only 
one of those sentenced, Kuwaiti Abdullah Matar Al-Shimmari, 
received eight years in prison, including two years for 
attempting to enter Kuwait on a forged passport.  Most of 
those sentenced on May 8 were released last year on KD 300 
(USD 1,000) bail after being arrested during Kuwait's July 
2004 militant crackdown (ref B). Osama Al-Munawer, attorney 
for 14 of those sentenced said he will appeal the verdict, 
however he told PolOffs that because sentences for some of 
the crimes his clients were accused of committing can be as 
much as 25-year prison terms, he remarked that a three-year 
sentence compared with a 25-year sentence essentially was an 
acquittal (ref A). 
 
- (U) Mohsen Al-Fadhli, Maqbul Al-Maqbul, Adil Yousef 
Ibraheem Bu Hammeed, and Mohammed M. Al-Mutairi were 
convicted by a Kuwaiti criminal court in February 2003 of 
fighting against U.S. troops in Afghanistan and smuggling 
money to Yemen and Saudi Arabia to establish jihad camps. 
They were sentenced to five years hard labor, a rare 
punishment.  All four were released when their case was 
overturned on appeal in April 2004 because the actions for 
which they were tried were committed outside Kuwait and thus 
not punishable under Kuwaiti law. 
 
- (SBU) Former Secretary general of the Scientific Salafis 
Hamad Abdullah Al-Ali was convicted in June 2004 of 
criticizing the Amir of Kuwait, inciting demonstrations, and 
founding an internet site with tips for making bombs (ref C). 
 He was sentenced to two years in jail, however, the court 
suspended his sentence and released him after he paid KD 
1,000 (approx. USD 3,500).  He is currently appealing his 
sentence by the lower criminal court. (Comment: Hamad 
Al-Ali's "criminal" actions include both an incitement to 
violence charge and a written and verbal expression of his 
opinion against the Amir.  It is interesting to note that, of 
his crimes, the more severe punshiment stemmed from his 
criticism of the Amir, not his rallying of the extremist 
troops. End Comment.) 
 
- (SBU) Amer Khlaif Al-Enezi, the now deceased militant Imam 
involved in the January 2005 shoot-outs with Kuwaiti security 
forces, was arrested in October 2004 for inciting youth to 
jihad but was released after being found innocent based on a 
lack of intent to cause harm, despite the existence of a 
significant amount of evidence that was ignored. 
 
- (U) October 2002 Failaka attack conspirators Suleiman Jamal 
Al-Kandari and Mohammed Asad Al-Kandari were sentenced to 
five years in prison for involvement and support to the 
shooting, including charges for possession of unlicensed 
firearms and ammunition, and joining an illegal organization. 
 Both sentences were suspended for KD 500 (approx. USD 
1,700).  Fellow conspirator Ahmed Mohammed Al-Kandari had his 
four-year sentence suspended for KD 200 (approx. USD 680) and 
Ghazi Faisal Al-Tarrah and Ahmad Jamal Al-Kandari were fined 
KD 5000 (approx. USD 17,000) and KD 2000 (approx. USD 6,800) 
respectively for their involvement in the attack. 
 
- (U) Ali Abdullah Hamad Al-Hamidi and Khalifa Hilal Hadi 
Al-Dihani were sentenced by the criminal court in June 2003 
for possessing and trafficking in weapons.  Al-Hamidi,s 
seven year sentence was suspended after paying a KD 500 fine 
(approx. USD 1,700) and Al-Dihani,s three year sentence was 
suspended for KD 200 (approx. USD 680).  Fellow traffickers 
Ibrahim Mubarak Fahad Al-Ghanim and Talal Hamad Mohammed 
Al-Faresi were not sentenced but were fined KD 3,000 each 
(approx. USD 10,000). 
 
...While Tougher Verdicts For Written And Verbal Expression 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
 
15.  (C) Kuwait's judicial system routinely metes out tough 
verdicts against those who insult Islam, the State of Kuwait, 
or the senior-most members of the ruling family.  If recent 
cases are representative, the Kuwaiti judicial system appears 
more capable of defending against rhetorical attacks on Sunni 
Islam than prosecuting known violent militants.  That said, 
these defendants have neither spent any time in jail, nor are 
there any politial prisoners in Kuwait. 
 
- (U) The Court of Appeals sentenced Professor of Political 
Science at Kuwait University Dr. Ahmed Al-Baghdadi to one 
year in prison for defamation (ref E); his sentence was 
suspended on payment of a KD 2,000 (approx. USD 6,800) fine. 
Al-Baghdadi was found guilty of criticizing Education 
Ministry plans to increase the amount of Islamic culture 
lessons by removing the music curriculum from government and 
private schools.  The appeals court ruled that he exceeded 
the limits of his freedom of speech by making statements such 
as "I'm not afraid of religious or bearded people and I think 
music is more important than teaching the Holy Qur'an."  He 
further said that he did not want his son to be a religious 
scholar and also did not want him to have a "possible future 
in terrorism."  Al-Baghdadi claimed that it was the Kuwaiti 
judges in the appeals court who overturned his original 
acquittal by Egyptian judges in the lower courts. 
 
- (U) In May 2004, Shi'a fugitive Yasser Al-Habib was 
sentenced in absentia to ten years in jail for insulting the 
"Companions of the Prophet."  He produced and distributed an 
audio cassette during Ramadan 2003 that, according to the 
court, defamed Sunni Islam Caliphs Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq and 
Omar Ibn Al-Khattab (refs F and G).  Al-Habib, who remains at 
large, was originally sentenced to one year in jail and fined 
KD 1,000 (approx. $3,400) on misdemeanor charges for the 
offense.  (Note: Shi'a Muslims accept Ali, the son-in-law of 
Prophet Mohammed and the fourth Caliph, as Mohammed's 
rightful successor and disregard his predecessors Abu Bakr 
and Omar who were the first and second Caliphs after 
Mohammed's death.  Kuwait's press law specifically prohibits 
the publication of any material that serves to "attack 
religions" or "incite people to commit crimes, create hatred, 
or spread dissension among the public." The penalty imposed 
against Al-Habib is consistent with existing Kuwaiti law. End 
Note). 
 
- (U) A Kuwaiti women was arrested in March for stepping on 
her citizenship papers while protesting her lack of political 
rights.  Despite making a public apology for her actions, she 
has been referred to the general prosecutor who "demanded to 
impose severe punishment" because of her alleged defiance of 
Articles 25 and 33 of law 31/1970.  (Note: Article 25 of law 
31 criminalizes public slander or libel against the Amir and 
his authority, and disrespect for the Emirate, which is 
punishable by up to five years in prison.  Article 33 of law 
31 criminalizes public disrespect of the national flag or the 
flag of a non-enemy state and is punishable by a sentence of 
up to three years with a KD 250 fine.  The woman's case is 
still pending. End Note.) 
 
Kuwaiti Attorneys: The Legal System Is Flawed 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
16. (SBU) PolOff met recently with several trial attorneys, 
of varying ideological backgrounds, to hear their 
professional opinions about the judicial system and recent 
high-profile rulings.  All stated that the system has 
problems, although most did not agree on which elements 
needed reforming.  Some complained that the current laws are 
insufficient to combat extremism and militants, while others 
speculated that the judges have too much discretion and too 
often favor those with similar political or religious 
beliefs.  Only one named the prosecutors as the key systemic 
flaw. 
 
- (C) Prominent liberal lawyer Imad Al-Saif complained about 
the conservative political and religious bias of many Kuwaiti 
judges (ref D).  While he believes that the legal system is 
sufficient, he did stress the need to upgrade some laws to 
better combat terror and extremism in the society including 
criminalizing foreign violent jihad and the public labeling 
of anyone as a 'kafir,' or infidel, because of the 
possibility of violence against that person due to some 
interpretations of the Qur'an.  He is, however, far more 
troubled by the power of influence peddling, or wasta, that 
is prevalent in the society and the courts and that, in his 
view, gives a much greater advantage to those with tribal 
ties and a religiously conservative worldview. 
 
- (C) Dr. Bader Al-Yacoub, moderate attorney for the Arabic 
news daily Al-Seyassah and for liberal Political Science 
Professor Ahmed Al-Baghdadi, said that the Islamist influence 
is very strong throughout the society but that he had never 
felt an Islamist bias in the courts.  He believes there are 
safeguards against undue influence in the courts, chief among 
them being that 80 percent of the judges were his students. 
He told PolOff that the entire legal and judicial system in 
Kuwait needs reform. He also said that the system of judicial 
promotions needs to be rewritten and that more courses for 
public prosecutors awaiting judgeships are needed. 
 
- (C) Dr. Bader also complained that all press-related crimes 
are automatically considered felonies and not misdemeanors, 
even though sentences are often below the three-year 
sentencing guideline the courts use to differentiate the two. 
 Dr. Bader said that in Al-Baghdadi's case, there were two 
Egyptian judges and one Kuwaiti judge who acquitted him of 
the charges at the first trial.  At the second trial in the 
appellate court, it was two Kuwaiti judges and one Egyptian 
who reversed the acquittal sentencing Al-Baghdadi to one year 
in jail.  Dr. Bader, while not necessarily viewing the second 
ruling as a matter of a conservative court bias -- as 
Al-Baghdadi did -- said he was surprised by the verdict. 
 
- (C) Mubarak Al-Mutawa, Islamist attorney for firebrand 
Salafi preacher Hamad Abdullah Al-Ali, was adamant that the 
judicial system is in need of reform.  In response to a 
question about the existence of political bias in the 
judiciary he responded that Kuwait is a small country and in 
Kuwaiti society, the families are "involved."  Al-Mutawa 
nodded when asked if this meant the existence of family and 
tribal wasta.  Al-Mutawa also said he has been the victim of 
courtroom bias and explained that when a liberal writes 
negatively about Hamad Al-Ali, it resonates in the courts and 
can "affect judgments."  Regarding the existence of a bias 
favoring religious conservatives he said that he could not 
talk anymore about the issue because of possible 
"consequences."  He did stress that reform was needed to 
separate judges from outside influences. 
 
- (C) Osama Al-Munawer, Islamist defense attorney for most of 
the suspected extremists and violent jihadists now on trial, 
told PolOffs that the key problem in the system is the Public 
Prosecutor's office.  He claimed that the prosecutors are 
anti-Islamist and that some prosecutors receive cash awards 
for bringing certain cases to trial.  He said that while he 
could not rule out the presence of a bias among judges, he 
has never seen an example of such corruption.  When asked 
whether he thought the judicial system responds more harshly 
to anti-Islamic statements than to weapons trafficking or 
terror-related activities, Al-Munawer replied he wasn't sure 
but that he does know that in the system there is a 
three-year sentence for an illegal weapons offense and a 
five-year sentence for "encroaching upon the honor of Prophet 
Mohammed." 
 
Societal Denial 
--------------- 
 
17. (C) Comment: Serious and pragmatic legal reform, which is 
not being discussed, could go a long way to ending many of 
the systemic and discretionary flaws in the current system. 
Unfortunately, another element that is less tangible, but 
very present, is the apparent denial throughout the society 
that heinous crimes could be perpetrated by Kuwaitis.  Until 
recently, almost all Kuwaitis considered terrorism "alien" to 
Kuwait.  Even after the January shoot-outs between militant 
extremists and law enforcement officers, many still believed 
it stemmed from outside forces and one Kuwaiti contact told 
PolOff that he heard those captured were mostly Saudis. 
Because there are fewer than one million Kuwaiti citizens, 
most of the population is related due to intermarriage, and 
nearly everyone, at the very least, knows "of" everyone else, 
there is a discernible "small-town" mentality present. 
Disbelief that a Kuwaiti could have committed a serious crime 
stems from considerations such as "he comes from a good 
family" or "he prays five times a day."  This mindset often 
leads to an attempt to solve problems in extra-judicial ways 
that have little or no lasting legal consequences.  This 
mentality reaches to the senior-most levels of government and 
a senior official, in an meeting with EmbOffs, referred to 
this approach to handling criminals as "the Kuwaiti way." 
18. (C) Accounts of some form of violence against domestic 
workers, rape of women and boys, and other abhorrent crimes 
fill local newspapers almost every day.  PolOffs have rarely 
noted cases of this kind finding their way to courtrooms or 
into the sustained public spotlight -- unlike cases regarding 
verbal and written statements about Islam.  Even when such 
cases of violence are addressed, they routinely involve at 
most, the defendant paying a small fine and signing a pledge 
of good conduct.  The sheer volume of incidents per capita 
compared to the relatively small number that are addressed by 
the legal system is alarming and almost certainly speaks to 
more than just the involvement of bad judges, inadequate 
laws, and wasta.  Even reforming the judicial system would 
likely do little to change this mentality until there is a 
serious effort by this society to legally and publicly 
confront violent crimes committed by its citizenry.  (Note: 
The last Kuwaiti to receive the death penalty was hanged 
along with two Saudis in June 2004 for raping and stabbing to 
death a six-year old Pakistani girl in 2002.  Less than a 
handful of Kuwaitis have received capital punishment in the 
past five years, despite the occurrence of dozens of murders 
and several hundred rapes, all capital cases under Shar'ia 
law, during the same time period. End Note.) End Comment. 
 
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