Photo Gallery Kuwaitis Take to the Streets
Kuwaiti politician Musallam al-Barrak was sentenced in April to five years in prison for speaking out against the emirate's ruling family. In response, several thousand Kuwaitis gathered in front of a prison at the edge of the city to protest on April 16 (photo).
At a demonstration the following day, riot police used tear gas and stun grenades on the protesters, shown here fleeing.
The 57-year-old al-Barrak studied literature and was a member of parliament for 16 years. The first to publically and directly criticize the emir of Kuwait, Al-Barrak is the country's conscience, his supporters say, the future prime minister of a Kuwait with free elections.
"A year ago, at most you could criticize a minister. That was the limit. Now we talk about the ruling family, even the emir himself," says architect Lama al-Fadala, left. Here she's seen working with other activists in a slum occupied by the stateless Bedoun.
