| Activists gather for second day of protests at Syrian embassy against Assad regime |
| | Sun, 05 Feb 2012 |
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KUWAIT: Hundreds of Syrian nationals and Kuwaiti citizens protested for the second day on Sunday, calling for the ouster of the Syrian ambassador from Kuwait. Islamist lawmaker Waleed Tabtabaie called on the crowd to demonstrate on Monday in front of the Russian and Chinese embassies to protest their veto against a UN Security Council resolution aimed at pressuring President Bashar Al-Assad to end his bloody crackdown. On Friday and Saturday, Al-Assad's regime bombarded the central Syrian city of Homs, which reportedly killed more than 200 civilians during a massive assault by regime forces. The double-veto at the Security Council outraged the US and its European allies as well as Arab leaders, and intensified fears among regime opponents that Al-Assad will now unleash even greater violence to crush protesters, feeling that he has protection by his top ally Moscow, AP reported. Ahmed Al-Mutari, a member of the Kuwait national football team attended the demonstration to lend his support on behalf of his teammates who wished to attend but who, for various reasons, could not attend. Al-Mutari expressed hopes that he could play against a team from a free Syria one day. The crowd shouted a parody of the Gadhaffi song, which was a viral video on the internet made famous during the Libyan uprisings, chanting they would free Syria house by house, and street by street. They also sang anti-Assad songs and praised God and the Kuwaiti people for their support. Earlier in the day the police issued a deadline by which the crowd should disperse. However as the deadline loomed, the crowd showed no signs of dispersing and police made ready to disperse the crowd by force. Special Forces Riot Police gathered across the street from the demonstration as regular police officers mingled with the crowd demanding they leave the area. The crowd then dispersed peacefully with some of the organizers handing out flowers to the police officers, thanking them for their restraint and praising their service to their country. Meanwhile, MP Mohammed Al-Juwaihel urged the Minister of Defense and Interior Sheikh Ahmad Al-Humoud Al-Sabah to deport all the expatriates, who took part in breaking into the Syrian Embassy Saturday afternoon, saying that "they did not respect the laws of Kuwait." "It is unnecessary to prosecute the 32 people involved in the incident," he said, adding that it would be "more convenient to deport them." Al-Juwaihel said that the act of deportation will deter every expatriate from breaking the law in the future. Al-Juwaihel warned that he will file an interpellation request against Minister Al-Humoud if the arrestees are not deported, arguing that Al-Humoud is the one responsible for Kuwait's security. However, general Mahmoud M. Al-Dosari stated to Al-Watan Daily that all Kuwaitis arrested after the storming of the Syrian Embassy have been released due to lack of evidence that they committed any crimes, and that over thirty Syrian nations were still being held pending further investigations and will be released once they are cleared of any wrong doing. General Al-Dosari also strongly stated that the investigation is being conducted thoroughly and only in cases where clear evidence has been found will anyone be referred to the Public Prosecution. So far, 35 suspects have been apprehended, five of them Syrian nationals and one Jordanian, and have been referred for prosecution. DNA evidence from the scene is being used by security forces in regards to the case.
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