17 Kuwaitis, 13 expats released after H.H the Amir reduces life sentences to 20 years

Upon directives of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to reduce life imprisonment sentences to 20 years, the General Administration of Correctional Institutions has released 30 inmates from the Central Prison who had served more than two decades behind bars.

Security sources informed Al Jarida that 17 of the released individuals are Kuwaiti citizens. They have been fitted with electronic bracelets, and are required to wear them for five years. The remaining 13 are expatriates and have been taken to the deportation prison awaiting repatriation to their respective countries.

The release of five additional inmates is pending, as they are facing new charges for crimes committed during incarceration.

The security sources clarified that this decision excludes persons convicted of state security offenses or espionage. Among those not eligible for release are Ala’a Hussein, the former head of Kuwait’s puppet government during the Iraqi invasion, and a National Guard soldier convicted of spying for Iraq during the Ba’ath regime.

The committee responsible for reviewing life sentence cases requires that candidates obtain a counseling certificate from the Ministry of Awqaf and prove no involvement in state security cases or foreign affiliations.

The oldest life-sentenced inmate released was an Egyptian national who spent 33 years in prison for murder. Initially sentenced to death, his sentence was commuted to life after a pardon from the victim’s family. The longest-serving Kuwaiti inmate spent 27 years in prison for drug trafficking. Most of the other released individuals were convicted of murder.