Kuwait's public prosecution Tuesday interrogated nine Islamist activists who founded the emirate's first political party on charges of plotting to "overthrow the government," the party said. "Members of the party were summoned to the public prosecution" for interrogation for establishing a political party, the Ummah (Nation) Party said in a statement. "The charge has been upgraded from a misdemeanor for violating the publication and assembly laws to a felony for establishing a political party to overthrow the regime," the statement said.
 Party spokesman Ali al-Qahtani said that following nine hours of interrogations, the prosecution decided to free the nine party officials on a $1,700 bail each. Warrants were sent out late Monday to all the 15 office bearers to appear before the state security prosecution, but Qahtani said other members were abroad and would appear when they return. Sunni Islamist activists in January took the unprecedented step of launching the Ummah Party, which is also the first of its kind in the conservative Gulf region, saying it intends to promote pluralism and the peaceful rotation of power. The party elected 15 officials and sent letters to Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, the speaker of Parliament and lawmakers urging them to amend Kuwaiti law to explicitly permit such parties. All 15 officials were interrogated at a police station shortly after the party was launched and charged with violating a law that bans public gatherings without prior government authorization. They were later released without bail. The statement said that the party has repeatedly denied any attempt to change the government and it is committed to "peaceful political work." |