Kuwaiti Citizen's Death Sentence for Espionage for Iran Confirmed

Reports indicate that a Kuwaiti appeals court confirmed the death sentence of a national accused of espionage for Iran and Hezbollah on Thursday. The Kuwaiti prosecution claims that this individual was a member of the 'Abdali' group, which sought to destabilize the Gulf countries. Last year, the Kuwaiti prosecution announced the discovery of weapons and military equipment from members of the Abdali group at a farm of the same name outside Kuwait City. According to Reuters, the Kuwaiti prosecution had accused 25 Shiite Kuwaitis and one Iranian of espionage for Iran and Hezbollah. The report states that the lower court found 23 of them guilty of charges such as 'hostile actions against Kuwait.' The lower court also sentenced Hassan Abdulhadi Alibe and an Iranian to death in January. Meanwhile, the appeals court on Thursday stated that it did not review the ruling regarding the Iranian national due to his fugitive status. The Iranian embassy in Kuwait had previously expressed dissatisfaction with the mention of the Islamic Republic in the arms and ammunition discovery case in Kuwait, emphasizing that it had no information about the identity of the individual identified as an Iranian citizen in this case and considers the claims to be 'a continuation of negative media propaganda' against the relations between the two countries. In the same context, the appeals court on Thursday also deemed ten of the defendants, who had previously been sentenced to 15 years in prison, 'innocent' and reduced the sentences of nine other defendants. Ziad Khalaf Anzi, the lawyer for the defendants whose sentences were reduced, told Reuters that the appeals court rejected the charges of collaboration with Iran and Hezbollah against these defendants but found them guilty of weapon possession. During the lower court proceedings, all 23 defendants denied the charges and stated that Kuwaiti officers had extracted confessions from them under torture. According to Reuters, 85% of Kuwait's population of 1.4 million is Sunni, and the relationship between the majority and the Shiite minority has been friendly so far. However, following the confrontation between Iran and Saudi Arabia in the region, Kuwait has also witnessed attacks against Shiites. Last year, at least 27 people were killed and 200 injured in a suicide attack on a Shiite mosque in the capital of Kuwait. In this context, Kuwait sentenced an Iranian citizen to death in absentia. Kuwaiti newspapers reported that the discovered smuggled weapons 'came from Iran.' A senior Kuwaiti parliamentary representative stated that Iran is the 'real enemy' of the countries in the region.