Basra fishermen demand action over killing by Kuwaiti forces, call for consulate protest

BASRA, Iraq — A fishermen's association in Basra's Faw district is demanding that the Iraqi government hold Kuwaiti security forces accountable for the death of fisherman Najm Abdullah Khalid, who was shot and killed in Iraqi territorial waters while on duty, the group said on Thursday. Bedran Temimi, head of the local fishermen's association, said Khalid was killed by gunfire opened by Kuwaiti security personnel. Temimi added that a death certificate has not yet been issued for the fisherman and noted that another Iraqi fisherman detained in Kuwait since 2012 remains in custody. Witnesses said detained Iraqi fishermen were subjected to mistreatment and torture before being returned across the border with injuries. Basra-based activists and civil society organizations called for a protest outside the Kuwaiti consulate on Friday afternoon, demanding that the Kuwaiti consul be expelled from the city. Ala al-Haidari, a lawmaker from the Parliamentary Wisdom Bloc, described the killing as "a clear violation of Iraqi sovereignty" and called on the federal government to adopt a firm stance. The developments coincided with Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein’s official visit to Kuwait on Wednesday.