Egypt refuses to receive Egyptian prisoners from Kuwait

Egypt has been delaying responding to a Kuwaiti request to receive its nationals who were detained in the Gulf state, Al-Qabas newspaper reported.

The paper said Kuwait has communicated with seven countries; Iran, Egypt, Iraq, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh requesting they receive citizens detained in Kuwait on various charges, but only two countries have responded.

The newspaper quoted well-informed sources in the Kuwaiti Ministry of Interior as saying that only Iraq and Iran have responded, with Tehran receiving 13 prisoners and 130 being sent back to Baghdad within the framework of the bilateral prisoner exchange agreements signed with them.

Prisoners from these state constitute the largest number of detainees in Kuwait, the paper explained, and deporting them will help alleviate the issue of prison overcrowding.

Some of the countries do not wish to receive their national, the news site added, adding that prisoners being deported were not held on state security charges.

READ: 66 European MPs condemn human rights situation in Egypt