Article

2005-02-11 Arabia

"No, no! Certainly not!"

Kuwait has denied claims that the leader of a cell allegedly linked to the Al-Qaeda network died after being tortured in prison, a newspaper reported Thursday. Amer Khlaif al-Enezi died Tuesday night of "heart failure" after he was taken to hospital from his detention cell at the emirate's secret service police, the interior ministry said Wednesday. The death "has not resulted from torture as has been alleged by some ... The forensic report will prove this," Interior Minister Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah said in comments published by Al-Rai Al-Aam daily. "Those who propagate that suspect Amer Khlaif died under torture have no evidence and the forensic report will prove he died of low blood pressure," Sheikh Nawaf said.

The London-based Islamic Observatory, which monitors the treatment of Islamist prisoners in the Middle East, charged that Enezi had died "under torture" and demanded an independent commission of inquiry. "Enezi was killed because he refused to give information" on wanted Islamists, it said in a statement received by AFP in Dubai.

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Kuwaiti Islamist MP Waleed al-Tabtabai, who heads parliament's human rights panel, Wednesday sent questions to Sheikh Nawaf about the "circumstances surrounding the death" and whether Enezi's body was examined by forensics.

The lawmaker, who demanded copies of the report on Enezi's death, also asked if security authorities had complied with the constitution which bans the torturing of suspects during interrogation.

Another Islamist MP, Abdullah Okash, said in a statement Thursday the death of Enezi "raises many question marks and may confirm reports of torture by security authorities."

Okash, a member of the parliamentary human rights panel, called for an "independent authority" to examine Enezi's body because the forensic department is under the interior ministry.

Enezi, 29, was detained on January 31 along with five of his supporters after a nine-hour firefight with security forces in which four gunmen were killed. Another man who was arrested later died of his wounds. The cell of militants allegedly plotted to kidnap US soldiers and other Westerners and film their murders and carry out attacks on US military convoys heading for Iraq. Security forces have fought gunbattles with Al-Qaeda-linked Islamist gunmen, killing eight of them and capturing at least 14 others over the past month. Four police officers were also killed and 10 others wounded.

This article starring:
Abdullah Okash
AMER KHLAIF AL ENEZI	Peninsula Lions
Waleed al-Tabtabai
	Islamic Observatory

Posted by Dan Darling 2005-02-11 10:07:00 AM|| || Front Page|| [9 views since 2007-05-07] Top

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