KUWAIT CITY (AP) — Police in the oil-rich nation of Kuwait used tear gas and stun grenades early Thursday to disperse protesters gathered in front of a jail to demand the release of a leading opposition figure. The demonstrators were calling for the release of Musallam al-Barrack, a former opposition lawmaker who was ordered to be detained Wednesday as part of an investigation into allegations of insulting the country's judiciary. Al-Barrack last month revealed documents that he alleges prove huge sums of illicit financial transfers were made to senior officials, including judges. Kuwait's prime minister, Jaber Al Mubarak Al Sabah, a member of the ruling family, has dismissed the documents, saying they have no value and do not stand up to scrutiny. The former lawmaker is now being questioned over accusations he insulted the judiciary and the head of the supreme juridical council, Faisal Al-Mershed. He has accused Al-Mershed of being complicit in corrupt deals with government officials. Al-Barrack's lawyer, Thamer Al-Jedaei, described his client's detention as unjust and said he has asked for his client to be released while the inquiry continues, but that the request was turned down. Hundreds of protesters rallied overnight in support of al-Barrack, marching from his house to the jail chanting: "The people want to cleanse the judiciary!" Activist Nawaf Al-Hendal said police urged protesters gathered outside the jail early Thursday to leave before resorting to the crowd control measures. Smaller protests took place in on the outskirts of the capital, mostly where al-Barrack's tribal supporters live, but no riot police were present. Al-Barrack gained attention in Kuwait for an October 2012 speech where he suggested that the emir was trying to turn the country into an "autocracy." He was sentenced to five years behind bars, but was allowed to remain free on bail after he refused to surrender to authorities and his supporters fought security forces. The small, Western-allied OPEC nation has the Gulf's most free-wheeling political system, but denouncing the emir is illegal.
