Born on January 30, 1956, Al-Barrak studied geography and worked in the Municipal Council before being elected to the National Assembly in 1996. Al-Barrak affiliates with the Popular Action Bloc.[1] Al-Barrak had been elected for six consecutive terms, making him the longest-serving member of parliament.[2]
Parliamentary careerEdit
Al-Barrak was a member of the opposition parliamentary group Popular Action Bloc.[1] In the 2006 parliamentary election, he won re-election with over 8,000 votes, the highest total in the election and an all-time record.[3] In the February 2012 parliamentary election, Al-Barrak set a national record for the highest votes received in Kuwait elections history more than 30.000 votes.[4]
In 2011 and 2012, Al-Barrak played a significant role in protests. In April 2012, he was stripped of his parliamentary immunity by the National Assembly for participating in the storming of the parliament building by protesters. In October 2012, Al-Barrak made a speech in which he broke with Kuwaiti precedent by saying that "we will not allow you (Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah) to rule individually..." He was arrested on 29 October for undermining the Emir and released on bail four days later.[5] On 15 April 2013, he was sentenced to two years in prison.
In May 2003, Al-Barrak spoke against visiting Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri, criticizing him for opposing the US-led invasion of Iraq. Holding an egg, he said: "This is what you are worth Hariri,... a rotten egg from the Kuwaiti people".[6]
Along with other Popular Action Bloc MPs, he criticized the government's Project Kuwait, which proposed international development of northern oil fields; Al-Barrak stated that they should be developed by a Kuwaiti company.[7] In 2006, he and fellow MP Ahmad Al-Saadoun questioned the government's cancellation of several contracts, and began meeting with the Audit Bureau.[1] Also in 2006, he and Mohammed Al-Sager led the opposition to Minister of Information Mohammed Al-Sanousi's re-appointment, due to the limits they said he had placed on freedom of the press.[8] Al-Sanousi resigned on 17 December 2006, one day before he was due to be grilled by parliament. Al-Barrak suggested Al-Sanousi had been forced to quit, calling it "a victory for the constitution, democracy and freedom".[9]
Public prosecutors requested in July 2010 that the National Assembly strip Al-Barrak of his parliamentary immunity so that he could face charges of harming the national security, but the request was refused.[10] In December 2010, the television station Al Jazeera was shut down in Kuwait after refusing to censor a broadcast of a telephone interview with Al-Barrak. Following the incident, Al-Barrak, Jamaan Al-Harbash and Saleh Al-Mulla called for Prime Minister Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah to be grilled before parliament.[11] On December 29, Al-Barrak and nine others filed a motion of no-confidence against the PM.[12]
In August 2011, following reports that some MPs had received millions of dinars to their accounts, Al-Barrak called for the governor of the Central Bank of Kuwait to resign.[13] In November, he participated in the storming of the parliament by protesters calling for Nasser Al Mohammad Al Sabah's resignation for corruption charges. He told reporters, "We are now waiting for the dissolution of government and the parliament ... Until this happens, Wednesday was only the first step among many. We don't fear anything except God."[14]
Loss of immunity and arrestEdit
In April 2012, the Public Prosecutor requested that the National Assembly strip Al-Barrak of his parliamentary immunity for his role in the November 2011 storming of the parliament. On April 24, the Assembly voted in favor of removing Al-Barrak's immunity, as well as that of eight other MPs.[15]
On 20 June, the Constitutional Court ruled the February 2012 parliamentary elections unconstitutional, dissolving the new parliament in favor of the previous. Al-Barrak assailed the decision, calling it a "blatant attack on the choice of the people"[16] and "a coup against the constitution".[17]
Al-Barrak was arrested on 29 October for charges of "undermining the status of the emir".[5] On 1 November, thousands of people marched to the prison to protest his arrest. After the crowd refused an order to disperse, police fired smoke bombs and tear gas to break up the protest.[18]Amnesty International issued a statement on Al-Barrak's behalf, stating that he had been detained "purely for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression" and calling for the charges against him to be dropped.[19]
On 15 April 2013 Al-Barrak was sentenced to two years in jail for his critical comments about the Emir.[20] Thousands of people took to the streets in protest of the verdict.[21] A lawyer for Al-Barrak stated that "the ruling is null and void because it violated the legal procedures and for failing to provide the defence team with sufficient guarantees".[22] The Kuwaiti Ministry of Information released its own statement saying that "Kuwait has a transparent and independent judicial system ... All citizens, regardless of their position, are equal in the eyes of the law. Anyone accused of a crime in Kuwait will get a fair trial with a comprehensive legal defense and open appeals process."[23]
ReleaseEdit
On 21 April 2017 he was released by authorities after serving a two-year prison sentence in Kuwait's Central Prison.[24]
ReferencesEdit
^ abcA Saleh (9 December 2006). . Kuwait Times. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
^. Kuwait News Agency. 6 January 2012. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
^Ahmad Al-Khaled (3 July 2006). . Kuwait Times. Archived from the original on 29 March 2015. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
^Kristian Coates Ulrichsen (22 October 2012). "Kuwait: Political crisis at critical juncture". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2 November 2012. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
^ ab"Kuwait: Ex-MP Mussallam al-Barrak freed on bail". BBC News. 1 November 2012. Archived from the original on 2 November 2012. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
^. Associated Press. 4 May 2003. Archived from the original on 10 October 2014. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
^"MPs step up anti-Project Kuwait rhetoric". Middle East Economic Digest. 16 September 2005. Archived from the original on 25 January 2013. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
^Ahmad Al-Khaled (5 July 2006). . Kuwait Times. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
^B. Izzak (18 December 2006). . Kuwait Times. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
^. Kuwait News Agency. 1 July 2010. Archived from the original on 31 October 2017. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
^. TradeArabia. 13 December 2010. Archived from the original on 31 October 2017. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
^. Kuwait News Agency. 28 December 2010. Archived from the original on 3 April 2016. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
^. Global Banking News. 25 August 2011. Archived from the original on 11 June 2014. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
^. Kipp. 17 November 2011. Archived from the original on 15 April 2016. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
^. Kuwait News Agency. 24 April 2012. Archived from the original on 9 April 2016. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
^Hussain al-Qatari (20 June 2012). "Kuwait Court Rules 2012 Elections Unconstitutional". Associated Press. from the original on 9 January 2014. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
^"Kuwait court reinstates previous parliament". Al Jazeera. 20 June 2012. from the original on 7 November 2012. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
^"Kuwaitis protest jailing of opposition figure". Al Jazeera. 1 November 2012. from the original on 2 November 2012. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
^"Kuwait: Charges against Musallam al-Barrak must be dropped". Amnesty International. 1 November 2012. from the original on 2 November 2012. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
^Habib Toumi (15 April 2013). "Kuwait opposition leader jailed for 5 years for insulting Emir where the law in Kuwait prohibited anyone to creticize ruler of Kuwait". Gulf News. from the original on 19 April 2013. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
^Ahmed Hagagy (15 April 2013). "Kuwaiti politician jailed for insulting emir". Reuters.
^"Kuwait jails former MP for 'insulting emir'". Al Jazeera. 15 April 2013. from the original on 16 April 2013. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
^Fiona MacDonald (16 April 2013). "Kuwaitis Protest Against Sentencing of Opposition's Al-Barrak". Bloomberg News. Bloomberg. from the original on 19 April 2013. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
^"Kuwait's most prominent opposition figure freed from prison". The Daily Astorian.
October 19, 2023
musallam, barrak, arabic, مسلم, محمد, البراك, kuwaiti, politician, member, kuwaiti, national, assembly, representing, fourth, district, مسلم, محمد, البراكpersonal, detailsborn, 1956, january, 1956, nationalitykuwaitresidence, andalous, kuwait, city, contents, . Musallam Al Barrak Arabic مسلم محمد البراك is a Kuwaiti politician He was a member of the Kuwaiti National Assembly representing the fourth district Musallam Al Barrakمسلم محمد البراكPersonal detailsBorn 1956 01 30 January 30 1956 age 67 NationalityKuwaitResidence s Andalous Kuwait City Contents 1 Background 2 Parliamentary career 3 Loss of immunity and arrest 4 Release 5 ReferencesBackground EditBorn on January 30 1956 Al Barrak studied geography and worked in the Municipal Council before being elected to the National Assembly in 1996 Al Barrak affiliates with the Popular Action Bloc 1 Al Barrak had been elected for six consecutive terms making him the longest serving member of parliament 2 Parliamentary career EditAl Barrak was a member of the opposition parliamentary group Popular Action Bloc 1 In the 2006 parliamentary election he won re election with over 8 000 votes the highest total in the election and an all time record 3 In the February 2012 parliamentary election Al Barrak set a national record for the highest votes received in Kuwait elections history more than 30 000 votes 4 In 2011 and 2012 Al Barrak played a significant role in protests In April 2012 he was stripped of his parliamentary immunity by the National Assembly for participating in the storming of the parliament building by protesters In October 2012 Al Barrak made a speech in which he broke with Kuwaiti precedent by saying that we will not allow you Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah to rule individually He was arrested on 29 October for undermining the Emir and released on bail four days later 5 On 15 April 2013 he was sentenced to two years in prison In May 2003 Al Barrak spoke against visiting Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri criticizing him for opposing the US led invasion of Iraq Holding an egg he said This is what you are worth Hariri a rotten egg from the Kuwaiti people 6 Along with other Popular Action Bloc MPs he criticized the government s Project Kuwait which proposed international development of northern oil fields Al Barrak stated that they should be developed by a Kuwaiti company 7 In 2006 he and fellow MP Ahmad Al Saadoun questioned the government s cancellation of several contracts and began meeting with the Audit Bureau 1 Also in 2006 he and Mohammed Al Sager led the opposition to Minister of Information Mohammed Al Sanousi s re appointment due to the limits they said he had placed on freedom of the press 8 Al Sanousi resigned on 17 December 2006 one day before he was due to be grilled by parliament Al Barrak suggested Al Sanousi had been forced to quit calling it a victory for the constitution democracy and freedom 9 Public prosecutors requested in July 2010 that the National Assembly strip Al Barrak of his parliamentary immunity so that he could face charges of harming the national security but the request was refused 10 In December 2010 the television station Al Jazeera was shut down in Kuwait after refusing to censor a broadcast of a telephone interview with Al Barrak Following the incident Al Barrak Jamaan Al Harbash and Saleh Al Mulla called for Prime Minister Nasser Al Mohammad Al Sabah to be grilled before parliament 11 On December 29 Al Barrak and nine others filed a motion of no confidence against the PM 12 In August 2011 following reports that some MPs had received millions of dinars to their accounts Al Barrak called for the governor of the Central Bank of Kuwait to resign 13 In November he participated in the storming of the parliament by protesters calling for Nasser Al Mohammad Al Sabah s resignation for corruption charges He told reporters We are now waiting for the dissolution of government and the parliament Until this happens Wednesday was only the first step among many We don t fear anything except God 14 Loss of immunity and arrest EditIn April 2012 the Public Prosecutor requested that the National Assembly strip Al Barrak of his parliamentary immunity for his role in the November 2011 storming of the parliament On April 24 the Assembly voted in favor of removing Al Barrak s immunity as well as that of eight other MPs 15 On 20 June the Constitutional Court ruled the February 2012 parliamentary elections unconstitutional dissolving the new parliament in favor of the previous Al Barrak assailed the decision calling it a blatant attack on the choice of the people 16 and a coup against the constitution 17 Al Barrak was arrested on 29 October for charges of undermining the status of the emir 5 On 1 November thousands of people marched to the prison to protest his arrest After the crowd refused an order to disperse police fired smoke bombs and tear gas to break up the protest 18 Amnesty International issued a statement on Al Barrak s behalf stating that he had been detained purely for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression and calling for the charges against him to be dropped 19 On 15 April 2013 Al Barrak was sentenced to two years in jail for his critical comments about the Emir 20 Thousands of people took to the streets in protest of the verdict 21 A lawyer for Al Barrak stated that the ruling is null and void because it violated the legal procedures and for failing to provide the defence team with sufficient guarantees 22 The Kuwaiti Ministry of Information released its own statement saying that Kuwait has a transparent and independent judicial system All citizens regardless of their position are equal in the eyes of the law Anyone accused of a crime in Kuwait will get a fair trial with a comprehensive legal defense and open appeals process 23 Release EditOn 21 April 2017 he was released by authorities after serving a two year prison sentence in Kuwait s Central Prison 24 References Edit a b c A Saleh 9 December 2006 Popular Group to exert more pressure on govt Kuwait Times Archived from the original on 14 July 2014 Retrieved 2 November 2012 KUNA proceeds broadcasting reports analytical studies on parliamentary Kuwait News Agency 6 January 2012 Archived from the original on 14 July 2014 Retrieved 2 November 2012 Ahmad Al Khaled 3 July 2006 Sheikh Nasser in the hot seat again Kuwait Times Archived from the original on 29 March 2015 Retrieved 2 November 2012 Kristian Coates Ulrichsen 22 October 2012 Kuwait Political crisis at critical juncture BBC News Archived from the original on 2 November 2012 Retrieved 2 November 2012 a b Kuwait Ex MP Mussallam al Barrak freed on bail BBC News 1 November 2012 Archived from the original on 2 November 2012 Retrieved 2 November 2012 Lawmakers say Lebanese prime minister not welcome in Kuwait Associated Press 4 May 2003 Archived from the original on 10 October 2014 Retrieved 2 November 2012 MPs step up anti Project Kuwait rhetoric Middle East Economic Digest 16 September 2005 Archived from the original on 25 January 2013 Retrieved 2 November 2012 Ahmad Al Khaled 5 July 2006 Lawmakers want clean ministers Kuwait Times Archived from the original on 14 July 2014 Retrieved 2 November 2012 B Izzak 18 December 2006 Sanousi makes backdoor exit Kuwait Times Archived from the original on 14 July 2014 Retrieved 2 November 2012 Nat l Assembly rejects lifting immunity of MP lifts it on another Kuwait News Agency 1 July 2010 Archived from the original on 31 October 2017 Retrieved 2 November 2012 Kuwait shuts down Al Jazeera amid unrest row TradeArabia 13 December 2010 Archived from the original on 31 October 2017 Retrieved 2 November 2012 10 Kuwaiti MPs table no confidence motion against PM Kuwait News Agency 28 December 2010 Archived from the original on 3 April 2016 Retrieved 2 November 2012 Central bank governor of Kuwait faces ultimatum from lawmaker Global Banking News 25 August 2011 Archived from the original on 11 June 2014 Retrieved 2 November 2012 Kuwaiti Protestors Storm Parliament Kipp 17 November 2011 Archived from the original on 15 April 2016 Retrieved 2 November 2012 Parliament approves lifting immunity of MPs Kuwait News Agency 24 April 2012 Archived from the original on 9 April 2016 Retrieved 2 November 2012 Hussain al Qatari 20 June 2012 Kuwait Court Rules 2012 Elections Unconstitutional Associated Press Archived from the original on 9 January 2014 Retrieved 2 November 2012 Kuwait court reinstates previous parliament Al Jazeera 20 June 2012 Archived from the original on 7 November 2012 Retrieved 2 November 2012 Kuwaitis protest jailing of opposition figure Al Jazeera 1 November 2012 Archived from the original on 2 November 2012 Retrieved 2 November 2012 Kuwait Charges against Musallam al Barrak must be dropped Amnesty International 1 November 2012 Archived from the original on 2 November 2012 Retrieved 2 November 2012 Habib Toumi 15 April 2013 Kuwait opposition leader jailed for 5 years for insulting Emir where the law in Kuwait prohibited anyone to creticize ruler of Kuwait Gulf News Archived from the original on 19 April 2013 Retrieved 16 April 2013 Ahmed Hagagy 15 April 2013 Kuwaiti politician jailed for insulting emir Reuters Kuwait jails former MP for insulting emir Al Jazeera 15 April 2013 Archived from the original on 16 April 2013 Retrieved 16 April 2013 Fiona MacDonald 16 April 2013 Kuwaitis Protest Against Sentencing of Opposition s Al Barrak Bloomberg News Bloomberg Archived from the original on 19 April 2013 Retrieved 16 April 2013 Kuwait s most prominent opposition figure freed from prison The Daily Astorian Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Musallam Al Barrak amp oldid 1176053851, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
