SUBSCRIPTION WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2015 RABI ALTHANI 15, 1436 AH www.kuwaittimes.net IS burns captured Min 10º Max 25º High Tide Jordan pilot alive 13:23 Low Tide 07:07 & 18:42 40 PAGES NO: 16423 150 FILS Amman to execute female bomber • Amir condemns ‘despicable’ murder from the editor’s desk Time to stand with Umm Al Dunya By Abd Al-Rahman Al-Alyan [email protected] uring the recent visit of Egyptian Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab to Kuwait, he Dmet the editors-in-chief of local media, including myself, at Bayan Palace. Rather than a press conference, we had a friendly discussion about recent events, Kuwait-Egypt ties and oth- er matters of mutual concern. I came away from that meeting with a renewed sense of hope in the future of one of the Arab world’s oldest civi- lizations. The truth is that Egypt is the backbone of the Arab world. Its strength and stability are critical (Above) This still image made from video released by Islamic State group militants purportedly shows Jordanian pilot Lt Maaz Al-Kassasbeh standing in a cage just before being burned to death by his captors. for the entire region. I will not comment on (Left) Anwar Al-Tarawneh, the wife of Kassasbeh, holds a poster of him as she weeps during a protest in what happened during or in the aftermath of Amman earlier yesterday. — AP the Arab Spring except to say that as always, we are with the Egyptian people and we wish them BEIRUT/KUWAIT: The Islamic State group released a in shed in vain and... vengeance will be proportional to HH the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al- stability, security and prosperity. We have not video yesterday purportedly showing the burning alive this catastrophe that has struck all Jordanians”. Jaber Al-Sabah strongly condemned the murder of forgotten the support and participation of of a Jordanian pilot, in the jihadists’ most brutal execu- State television said Kassasbeh had been killed Jan 3, Kassasbeh, saying this “terrorist and despicable” act was Egypt during Saddam’s invasion of Kuwait and tion yet of a foreign hostage. The highly produced 22- before IS offered to spare his life and free a Japanese unrelated to religions and traditions. In a cable to we continue to look upon Egypt as a friendly minute video released online showed images of a man journalist in return for the release of a female would-be Jordan’s King Abdullah, the Amir expressed Kuwait’s and brotherly nation. purported to be the pilot Maaz Al-Kassasbeh, who was suicide bomber on death row in Jordan. A security offi- “strong condemnation of this criminal act carried out by Egypt is also an important leader in regional captured in December, engulfed in flames inside a met- cial said the woman, Iraqi Sajida Al-Rishawi would be so-called Islamic State when it executed Jordanian pilot security concerns and a primary mediator in the al cage. executed at dawn today. “The death sentence will be Maaz Al-Kassasbeh, and the vicious way he was execut- Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Not to mention its Amman confirmed the death of the 26-year-old, carried out on a group of jihadists, starting with ed”. HH the Amir reaffirmed Kuwait’s rejection of all while the video’s authenticity has still not been verified, Rishawi, as well as Iraqi Al-Qaeda operative Ziad Karbuli forms of terrorism, and was joining hands with the importance in the Syria and Iraq issues. A stable and vowed an “earth-shattering” response. The military and others who attacked Jordan’s interests,” the security international community to eliminate it. Egypt will be able to play a bigger role in help- warned that “the blood of the martyr will not have been source said. Continued on Page 13 ing resolve these conflicts and reducing the threat posed by the self-proclaimed Islamic State (Daesh). In Kuwait, we believe that now is the time to Kharafi Group plans Egypt investments help Egypt rebuild its economy. To provide jobs KUWAIT: Egyptian Prime Minister munications. and income for the Egyptian people. We can see Ibrahim Mahlab met prominent Mahlab welcomed the offers, the possibilities of its future and know that this Kuwaiti businessman, Al-Kharafi pointing out that Egypt was cur- is a good time for Kuwaiti businessmen to take Group representative and Vice rently working on facilitating the advantage of the opportunity to do business in Chairman of Zain Telecommunic- attraction of new investments, the Arab world’s most populous nation and ation Co Bader Nasser Al-Kharafi solving years-long investor prob- grow together. during his visit to Kuwait. As part lems and support serious compa- of Kharafi’s plans to launch nies and investors. Highly com- During the conversation, Prime Minister investments in the new Egyptian mending the role played by the Mahlab noted that cooperation and ties administrative capital, the Al- late Nasser Mohammed Abdul between Kuwait and Egypt are long-standing Kharafi and Al-Mulla groups Mohsen Al-Kharafi in supporting and historical and many Kuwaitis have studied announced their intention to and encouraging Kuwaiti invest- in Egypt or joined the Egyptian army when it build a Mitsubishi automobile ments in Egypt over decades, fought against Israel. He also noted that the factory in Bani Swaif governorate Mahlab stressed Al-Kharafi group Egyptian government plans to pass new legisla- once the franchise is approved by was one of the most successful Mitsubishi Japan. Kharafi also investors in Egypt that provides tion to make Egypt more attractive to foreign announced Zain’s intention to job opportunities for over 80,000 investment, another step that will promote invest in Egypt, making use of Egyptian employees in its proj- KUWAIT: Egyptian Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab meets Al-Kharafi Group representative and Vice Kuwait-Egypt economic ties. their long experience in telecom- ects and factories in Egypt. Chairman of Zain Telecommunication Co Bader Nasser Al-Kharafi during his visit to Kuwait. HRW slams free speech crackdown ‘Mockingbird’ author Lee By Nawara Fattahova HRW released a statement urging the The government has also revoked the citizen- to publish second novel Kuwaiti government to take urgent steps to ship of critics in three cases, leaving them KUWAIT: A crackdown on free speech was the amend national laws that officials are using to stateless. “The Kuwaiti authorities seem to NEW YORK: American author Harper suaded her to write a novel from the focus of a Human Rights Watch report crack down on free speech, and stop revoking think that it is not enough to use lengthy jail Lee is to publish a second novel, more point of view of a young Scout, set 20 released yesterday, as the watchdog accused citizenship to punish its critics and peaceful sentences to punish critical tweets and other than half a century after the release of years earlier. Kuwait of escalating punishments against opponents. Over the past year, officials have peaceful dissent,” said Houry. her much-loved classic “To Kill a The reclusive Lee, 88, who lives in her people critical of the government. In the 656- brought charges against a number of critics. Continued on Page 15 Mockingbird,” HarperCollins announced native Alabama, said she was “humbled page World Report 2015, its 25th edition, yesterday. “Go Set a Watchman” was and amazed” that the manuscript was to Human Rights Watch reviews human rights written in the 1950s and fea- be published after so many practices in more than 90 countries. The tures many of the same charac- years, not realizing it had sur- Kuwait report also shed light on the contin- ters as “Mockingbird.” It was vived. “In the mid-1950s, I ued problems of bedoons and the plight of recently rediscovered and will completed a novel called ‘Go be released on July 14, the pub- Set a Watchman.’ It features migrant workers among human rights issues lishing house said. Lee won the the character known as Scout that need to be improved in Kuwait. Pulitzer Prize for “To Kill a as an adult woman and I Nadim Houry, Deputy Middle East and Mockingbird” - a searing tale of thought it a pretty decent North Africa Director at HRW said that the racial injustice in the Great effort. “My editor, who was report this year focused on how governments Depression-era South that was Harper Lee taken by the flashbacks to are dealing with security challenges and published in July 1960. Scout’s childhood, persuaded instability. “What worries us most is the terror The novel - standard reading in me to write a novel from the point of and violation of human rights by groups like American classrooms for decades - has view of the young Scout. I was a first- IS and others. We also registered violations by been translated into more than 40 lan- time writer, so I did as I was told.” some governments dealing with these terror- guages and made into a film that won She said close friend and lawyer Tonja ist organizations. We are happy that there is three Oscars, including one for lead Carter had rediscovered the manuscript still some freedom in Kuwait and we hope actor Gregory Peck. “Go Set a and “after much thought and hesitation,” that more improvements will talk place next KUWAIT: (From left) Human Rights Watch’s Deputy Director of Middle East and North Watchman” was actually written earlier Lee shared it with a handful of people, year,” he said during a press conference yes- Africa division Nadim Houry, Director of Kuwait’s Human Rights Society Mohammad Al- then “Mockingbird” but was set aside who decided it should be published.