SUBSCRIPTION THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2015 RABI ALAWWAL 6, 1437 AH www.kuwaittimes.net Mutual respect Amazon UK ‘Star Wars’ River scrape between cops, urges customers rediscovers its into Club citizens essential to throw away Force, say critics World final for security3 hoverboards27 as38 film opens with20 nervy win Court says coed ban in Min 07º Max 19º line with constitution High Tide 02:25 & 16:35 Assembly approves animal rights bill Low Tide 09:57 & 22:07 40 PAGES NO: 16730 150 FILS By B Izzak Amnesty: Kuwait sliding into repression KUWAIT: The constitutional court, the highest court in the country, ruled yesterday that a 19-year old legisla- By Nawara Fattahova tion that bans the mixing of male and female students at universities is in line with the constitution and turned KUWAIT: Amnesty International urged Kuwait yester- down a challenge against it. The challenge was filed in day to release political prisoners and warned that the February by two male students and a lawyer, contesting state was at risk of sliding deeper into repression. In a that the law violates gender equality stipulated in the report titled “The Iron Fist Policy: Criminalization of constitution and overburdens the government with Peaceful Dissent in Kuwait”, Amnesty said more than highly expensive additional costs. 90 government critics were either in jail or on trial for The law was passed by the National Assembly, which charges such as insulting or offending HH the Amir or was controlled by Islamist and conservative MPs, in top officials. The report was released during a press 1996, and gave the government five years to implement conference held at the Kuwait Society for Human it. It requires the government to completely separate Right in Shuwaikh. male and female students at lecture halls, labs, restau- “Scores of peaceful critics have been arrested and rants and other activities. It also stipulates that the gov- imprisoned simply for speaking out against a specter ernment must take into consideration these require- of widespread repression,” said Amnesty’s deputy ments while building new universities. director for the Middle East and North Africa, James The Assembly again passed another law in 2000 to Lynch. “The authorities have resorted to a mesmeriz- extend the ban on coeducation to private universities ingly complex web of laws in an attempt to throttle which started coming up at that time. The court said freedom of expression,” he told a press conference. “It that it found no contradiction between the law and the is not too late to reverse this downward spiral of constitution and accordingly threw out the petition, the human rights violations. Kuwait is at a critical junc- first of its kind against the law. Liberal MPs repeatedly ture, the government has a clear choice between tried to get the law amended in the Assembly, but all allowing the country to slide into deeper repression their attempts were thwarted by Islamist and tribal MPs or taking urgent steps to prove that its public commit- who insist that segregation of the sexes is part of imple- ments to human rights are more than just hollow menting the Islamic sharia law. The door is not com- KUWAIT: Amnesty International researcher Drewery Dyke speaks during a press conference at the Kuwait promises,” Lynch added. pletely shut for fresh attempts against the law as new Human Rights Association yesterday. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat Continued on Page 13 Continued on Page 13 Turkey to set up Qatar military base Saudis to boost aid, investment to Egypt DOHA/ RIYADH: Turkey will establish a fighting in Syria. The envoy, Ahmet military base in Qatar as part of a defense Demirok, told Reuters that three thousand News agreement aimed at helping them con- ground troops would be stationed at the in brief front “common enemies,” Turkey’s ambas- base - Turkey’s first overseas military instal- sador to Qatar said yesterday. Establi- lation in the Middle East - as well as air and shment of the base, part of an agreement naval units, military trainers and special Kuwait Airways scraps signed in 2014 and ratified by Turkey’s par- operations forces. New York-London route liament in June, intensifies the partnership The “multipurpose” base will primarily KUWAIT: Kuwait Airways is no longer selling tickets for with Qatar at a time of rising instability and serve as a venue for joint training exercises SAMAWA, Iraq: A picture taken on Dec 14, 2015 shows a camel standing in this flights between New York’s John F Kennedy airport and southern desert in an area used by Iraqi herdsmen to graze their stock. — AFP a perceived waning of US interest in the and Qatar was also looking at setting up its London’s Heathrow, after the US Transportation region. own base in Turkey, he said in an interview. Department threatened legal action for its refusal to sell The two countries, both economic “Turkey and Qatar face common problems tickets to Israelis, reported USA Today. “Today, Kuwait heavyweights, have provided support for and we are both very concerned about 26 Qatari hunters Airways informed the US DOT that they will be eliminat- the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, backed developments in the region and uncertain ing service between JFK and London Heathrow,” rebels fighting to overthrow Syrian presi- policies of other countries ... We confront Namrata Kolachalam, a department spokeswoman, said dent Bashar Al-Assad and raised the alarm common enemies. At this critical time for kidnapped in Iraq Tuesday. “Sorry, we were unable to process your request about creeping Iranian influence in the the Middle East cooperation between us is due to either no operating flight or no seats available,” region. Both have condemned Russia’s vital,” Demirok said. BAGHDAD/KUWAIT: About 100 gunmen the party were also taken but later released, the airline’s website replied Tuesday, when asked for intervention on the side of Assad’s forces Continued on Page 13 kidnapped at least 26 Qatari hunters in he said. Other officials put the number of flights from JFK to Heathrow. But other flights directly southern Iraq, officials said yesterday, the people kidnapped at 26. to Kuwait City or to other destinations connecting second high-profile abduction of foreigners “Twenty-six Qatari hunters were kid- through Kuwait are available. The end of the route came in the country in three months. Turkey, which napped at about 3:00 am (0000 GMT) by after the Transportation Department investigated the like Qatar is at odds with various Iraqi groups unknown gunmen,” a police major from airline’s refusal to sell Eldad Gatt, an Israeli citizen, a tick- over regional issues, had 18 of its citizens Muthanna said. A local council member from et from JFK to Heathrow in 2013. abducted in Iraq in early September. They the province gave the same number, saying were eventually released unharmed. Reports that the kidnappers were in dozens of pick- late yesterday said nine of the hunters, some up trucks. Qatar’s foreign ministry has con- of them injured, were released and had tacted the Iraqi government to obtain Kuwait expects budget arrived in Abdaly in Kuwait. “details about the kidnapping of the Qatari deficit between KD 5-6bn Dozens of gunmen “kidnapped 27 Qatari citizens and to work to release them as KUWAIT: Kuwait expects the actual 2015-16 hunters... when they were in a camp near the quickly as possible”, it said in a statement car- budget deficit to be between KD 5 and 6 billion Bassiyah area,” Faleh Al-Zayadi, the governor ried by the official QNA news agency. ($16.5-$19.8 billion), the Finance Ministry of Muthanna province where they were Assistant Foreign Minister for Political Undersecretary Khalifa Hamada said yesterday, seized, told AFP. “All of those kidnapped are Affairs, Mohammed Al-Rumaihi, has been dis- lower than the KD 8.18 billion the country was Qatari and a number of members of the rul- patched to Baghdad to coordinate with Iraqi projecting previously. Hamada also told journal- ing family in Qatar are among them,” Zayadi authorities “to ensure the safety of the Qatari ists in Kuwait City that Kuwait planned to unify said, adding that the kidnappers used more nationals”, it said. The hunters entered Iraq corporate taxes on local and foreign companies at than 50 vehicles mounted with machine- with an “official permit” from the interior min- 10 percent, and expected revenues from such a guns. Two Iraqi officers providing security for istry, the Qatari statement said. — Agencies move to exceed KD 2 billion a year. The official also said that Kuwait was still studying better manage- ment of fuel subsidies, but any changes would Fed announces rate begin with petrol. He said that better manage- ment of fuel subsidies would earn the country KD 1 billion in savings. hike, Kuwait follows CAIRO: Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi (right) meets Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Crown Prince and Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday. — AP WASHINGTON: The Federal Reserve The US move was widely expected announced yesterday its first interest rate but nevertheless marked the end of an increase in more than nine years in a era in which the Fed pumped trillions landmark move signaling the US has of cheap dollars into the US economy US Congress reins in visa-free travel finally moved beyond the 2008 crisis. The to fuel what turned out to be a very Fed raised the benchmark federal funds long recovery. The move initiates what WASHINGTON: The US Congress struck a of Representatives last week which excludes About 20 million people each year come to rate, locked near zero since the Great will be a series of slow rate increases huge spending deal overnight including a citizens from VWP countries who are also dual the United States without a visa for stays of Recession, by a quarter point to 0.25-0.50 which the Federal Open Market measure that will tighten the Visa Waiver nationals from Iran, Iraq, Syria and Sudan.