Journalist, photographer treated well in Iran

The Kuwait Bar Association appreciated the role the Kuwait Ministry of Foreign Affairs played in releasing the Kuwaiti lawyer and journalist Adel Al-Yahya and TV photographer Raed Al-Majed, who were arrested in Iran recently. Khalid Al-Jarallah, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the ministry exerted great efforts to release the two detainees, who were accused of espionage in Iran. Iran responded positively to the demands of the Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry. We also appreciate the efforts of the Iranian Ambassador in Kuwait. The Kuwait Ambassador to Iran played a key role in staying in touch with the arrested," he said during the awarding ceremony held on Sunday evening at the Bar Association on the occasion of their release. The ceremony was also attended by Kuwait's Ambassador to Iran. According to Al-Jarallah, Iran treated the detainees in a good manner. "The detainees were not tortu red or insulted. We are glad that they returned safely as many people were asking about them," he added. Attorney Adel Al-Abdulhadi demanded the Ministry of Foreign Affairs pay the same attention to speed up the release of Kuwaiti detainees in Guantanamo - Fayiz Al-Kanderi and Fawzi Al-Odah - to bring them back to Kuwait. The returned detainee Adel Al-Yahya thanked all those who helped him return to Kuwait along with his colleague Raed Al-Majid. "I didn'texpect that going on a business trip to Iran would result in weeks of imprisonment. I went with my colleague Al-Majid to record an episode of my weekly program, about a Kuwaiti woman who was married to an Iranian citizen. The second day we recorded the interview at her place and went to the fish market, we were arrested. We were not tortured or harmed physically, but we were accused of espionage and underwent intense mental trauma. We were transferred to different prisons until our release finally, but we were treated well by the Iranian government," he said. Al-Jarallah also said that on each of his visits to the United States, he discusses the issue of the Kuwaiti detainees in Guantanamo with the officials. "Already the majority of the Kuwaiti detainees in Guantanamo have been released, thanks to the ministry's efforts. These efforts didn't stop and will continue till the last two detainees return home. One of the released detainees from Guantanamo went to Iraq and killed American soldiers in a case of suicide bombing. This affected our negotiations, as the A mericans always mention this incident. But we won't let this deter us from our continued efforts for their release," he pointed out.