Kuwait to bail politician after arrest for insulting emir

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Yasser Al-Zayyat / AFP - Getty ImagesKuwait riot police used stun grenades and tear gas Wednesday to disperse thousands of angry demonstrators who marched on the central prison in Kuwait City, where a leading opposition figure was detained.By ReutersKuwaiti authorities have decided to free a prominent opposition politician on bail after charging him with insulting the ruling emir, his lawyer said Thursday.

Follow @NBCNewsWorld Although OPEC member Kuwait has avoided the kind of mass pro-democracy unrest seen in other Arab countries, tensions have mounted between the elected parliament and the government ahead of a December vote.

Musallam al-Barrak, an outspoken former member of parliament was picked up from his home Monday night, two weeks after a protest rally at which he made rare critical remarks directed at the emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah.

Protest broken up by police

Police in the major Gulf oil-producing state, where the government is dominated by the Al-Sabah family, used tear gas and smoke bombs on Wednesday to disperse protesters marching on a prison where Barrak was being held, witnesses said.

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