Detention of Three Iranian Fishermen by Kuwait; Reaction to 'Finger Cutting' Video

While some local media in Bushehr reported the detention of three Iranian fishermen by Kuwaiti military forces, an Iranian judicial official stated regarding the circulation of a video showing the 'cutting of fingers' of these fishermen that 'such a video cannot be relied upon and the matter is under further investigation.' On Sunday, February 6, local websites in Bushehr reported that three fishermen from this area, along with several other fishermen, were engaged in fishing in international waters when a Kuwaiti boat 'attacked' them. According to these websites, the crew of this boat were Egyptian and 'after damaging the property' of the Iranian fishermen, they transferred them to Kuwaiti territory with the assistance of military forces. The identities of these three fishermen were revealed in a letter sent by Abdul Karim Jamiri, a representative from Bushehr in the parliament, to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for follow-up on their fate, naming them as Abdolhasan Bakhtar, Iman Daryapour, and Abbas Abbasi. Mr. Jamiri, in addition to sending this letter, also addressed reporters and stated: 'The Kuwaiti parties are not willing to provide the slightest information' and are attempting to 'politically exploit the issue with baseless accusations.' In this context, Ali Hassanpour, the public and revolutionary prosecutor of Bushehr, also confirmed the detention of these fishermen but stated that 'the abduction of these fishermen' has not yet been established for the judiciary of Bushehr province. Hassanpour implicitly referred to the 'unauthorized fishing' of the Iranian fishermen and mentioned that a case has been opened for 'three other fishermen' in this regard. This judicial official also commented on the circulation of the video and photos of the 'cutting of fingers' of the Bushehri fishermen on social media, stating that 'such a video cannot be relied upon and the matter is under further investigation.' On the other hand, Hossein Ashtari, the police commander, also said that 'there is no accurate information' regarding the Iranian fishermen and that 'the coast guard officials are pursuing the matter.' The local site 'Gam News' also reported, citing the father of one of the fishermen, that 'his son is hospitalized in a hospital in Kuwait and he has no information about the fate of the other two fishermen.' Additionally, Hossein Jaberi Ansari, the spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated on Tuesday, February 7, that 'some points have been verbally expressed regarding the detention of the three Bushehri fishermen by Kuwaiti military personnel.' Mr. Jaberi Ansari mentioned that no written communication has been received from Kuwaiti officials regarding the matter so far. Southern Iran has significant shared maritime borders with some Arab countries like Kuwait, where reports of fishermen being detained in these waters are published annually. Local fishermen are usually arrested on charges of 'illegal' entry into the waters of the country that detains them, imprisoned for a while, and then released after negotiations.