IBTISAM BERTO SULAIMAN AL-DAKHIL a 41-year-old woman, remains imprisoned in Kuwait despite having been pardoned by the Amir in 1998. In 1991 she was convicted of "collaborating" with the Iraqis during the occupation of Kuwait and is serving a life sentence in Kuwait Central Prison. She is a prisoner of conscience.
Ibtisam worked as a journalist for the Kuwaiti newspaper al-Qabas before it was closed down during the occupation and replaced with the Iraqi-controlled newspaper al-Nida'. She refused to work for al-Nida', but was forced to work on it after twice being detained by the Iraqis. Shortly after the Iraqi forces withdrew, Ibtisam told the police what had happened.
In April 1991 Ibtisam was summoned for interrogation and she was later arrested. In June 1991 Kuwait's Martial Law Court convicted Ibtisam of "collaboration," together with 14 other people who had also worked at al-Nida'. Ibtisam and five others were sentenced to death, later commuted to life imprisonment. Four other prisoners of conscience, all women, who had been sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment in connection with the same case were granted an amnesty by the Amir in 1996.
Martial Law Court proceedings were manifestly unfair. Many defense lawyers were denied access to their clients and were not allowed to cross-examine prosecution witnesses; some people were convicted solely on the basis of "confessions" extracted under torture; and all were denied the right of appeal. After the lifting of Martial Law, "collaboration" cases went before the State Security Court, whose proceedings also fell short of international standards for fair trial.
Please write, appealing for the immediate and unconditional release of
Ibtisam Berto Sulaiman al-Dakhil, to: His Highness Shaikh Sa'ad al-'Abdallah
al-Sabah/ Prime Minister/ Al-Diwan al-Amiri/ Kuwait.
Updated: 1/14/2001
Email: Michael Lackner