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Kuwait Lawyer Sues Lebanon Officials over ‘Illegal Arrest’ | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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KUWAIT CITY (AFP) – A prominent Kuwaiti lawyer who previously defended people suspected of Al-Qaeda links said he filed a lawsuit on Sunday against Lebanon’s premier over his alleged illegal detention and mistreatment.

“Today I filed a civil lawsuit against the Lebanese prime minister (Saad Hariri) and interior minister (Ziad Baroud) for being illegally detained and mistreated in Beirut,” Osama al-Munawer told AFP.

The lawyer, who said he was seeking unspecified damages, accused Lebanese police and intelligence agents of holding him for questioning for two days in July last year.

A high-ranking Lebanese security official told AFP that Munawer had been detained at Beirut’s international airport on July 26, 2009 upon arrival from Germany.

His detention was based on a warrant to question him issued by a Lebanese judge at the request of the army.

“He was handed over to the military police for questioning because of suspicion he was linked to an organisation close to Al-Qaeda,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

He said he did not have immediate further details on the case.

Munawer said his interrogators were interested in information about his former clients and were acting at the request of Kuwaiti authorities.

He said he plans to file a criminal case against the Lebanese officials before European courts since Kuwaiti courts have no jurisdiction over Lebanese officials.

A Kuwaiti court would start looking into the case from January 20, he added.