On Wednesday night, the police fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse the opposition protesters who marched on the central prison in the capital Kuwait City where Mussallam al-Barrak is detained.
Hours earlier, the public prosecutor extended the detention of Barrak for 10 days over comments considered critical of the emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al Sabah.
According to opposition activists, more than 10,000 people attended Wednesday’s demonstration. The protesters assembled at Barrak’s residence in Andalus, 20 kilometres southwest of Kuwait City, and then walked towards the central jail about three kilometers away.
The demonstrators were chanting “freedom for Barrak” and holding banners reading "The nation wants the release of the conscience of the nation."
On October 21, at least 100 protesters were injured at a huge demonstration organized by the opposition to protest against an electoral law, which the opposition had called a constitutional coup by the government.
The opposition called for the demonstration after the government announced it was holding elections on December 1 and would change the electoral law "to preserve national unity".
Activists say the decision to change the electoral law by the emir is aimed at electing a rubber-stamp parliament.
Kuwait was the first Arab state in the Persian Gulf to establish an elected parliament in 1962. However, the Al Sabah family remained in control of most key posts, including the premiership and the ministries of defense, interior, and foreign affairs.
