Detained Kuwaitis on hunger strike

About 20 Kuwaiti activists, detained after storming the parliament earlier in the month, have gone on a hunger strike to protest the “illegal and oppressive detention.” The hunger strike was announced on Friday by supporters of the activists on Twitter after a public prosecutor extended their detention until Saturday, AFP reported. The Twitter post also said that the activists were prevented from contacting relatives and kept in cells usually used for criminals. On November 16, hundreds of Kuwaiti protestors stormed parliament building, demanding that Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammad al-Ahmad Al Sabah resign. At least 31 of the protestors have since then been in detention. Al-Humaidi al-Subaie, coordinator of the protestors' defense team, said that the activists could “face a jail term of between six months and life.” Hundreds of protestors rallied outside the Palace of Justice in the capital, Kuwait City, on Thursday to show their solidarity with the activists. A similar rally has also been planned for Friday. Tension has been on rise in the Persian Gulf nation over the past three months following reports that about 16 lawmakers in the 50-member parliament received some USD 350 million in bribes for their votes. The opposition accuses the government of involvement in the bribery case, saying the 71-year-old premier has been transferring public funds into his personal accounts overseas. Sheikh Nasser has denied any wrongdoings.