Bahrain Mirror (Exclusive): Kuwaiti Member of Parliament Abdulhameed Dashti said that his only guilt, and that of his country, is that they are neighbors of Saudi Arabia. While taking part in the International Conference in Support of the Yemeni People that was held in London (20-21 August, 2016), Dashti confirmed that the arrest warrant issued against him by the Kuwaiti government through the Interpol, came as a result of Saudi pressures over his participation in the conference.

The moment he approached the podium to deliver his speech, Dashti stated that he had just been informed that the Kuwaiti government issued two arrest warrants against him, one of which was through the Interpol. He believed that his government did this due to "pressures by Saudi Arabia", oriented against him for participating in the International Conference for the Support of the Yemeni People.

The Kuwaiti MP clarified that this was an expected move, since Saudi Arabia seeks to "mute all those who support the Yemeni cause", confirming that he will deal with this situation with the law.

MP Dashti is renowned for his exceptional stances in support of the Bahraini uprising, in addition to his rich movement in legal platforms in which he condemned the Bahraini regime's violations against the Bahraini citizens. Moreover, he is prominently known for his open support in Kuwait to the Syrian government against the armed opposition and to the Yemenis against the Saudi aggression. All the aforementioned stances had led to lifting of his parliamentary immunity and his prosecution.

Mr. Dashti is currently head of "The International Council for the Support of Fair Trial and Human Rights", an organization to which the United Nations granted a counseling membership based in Geneva.

When asked about why the Kuwaiti government would do such a thing, MP Dashti praised the Kuwaiti Emir and the entire Kuwaiti nation, and confirmed, "My guilt, and that of my government and nation is that we are Saudi Arabia's neighbors, and we are paying the price for being its neighbor."

In regards to the conference, the Kuwaiti MP praised the turnout of the conference and the mindset present, those who asserted their support to the Yemeni people against the Saudi regime, which in his opinion, "was made to destruct humanity".

"We gather here today to witness the Yemeni people demanding to decide their own fate", he said, adding that the Yemeni people were so powerful not to bow despite the Saudi warplanes and bombardments.

The Kuwaiti MP, who was sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment by a Kuwaiti Court in July 2016, for cases related to "scolding Saudi Arabia and Bahrain regimes", reiterated his constant support to the Bahraini people in their political struggle against oppression.

"We pledge to continue our support to you and to everyone facing injustice in Bahrain and Iraq [...] against this scheme that is targeting our Arab region", Mr. Dashti further stated.

MP Dashti finally hoped that this conference orients its pressures towards the UK government and the governments of other countries, to push Saudi Arabia into ending its aggression.

At the end of the conference, MP Abdulhameed Dashti was granted a medal of goodwill for his human rights initiatives, presented to him by Idris al-Saleh, Ambassador of the International Commission and Organization for Human Rights.

Arabic Version