KUWAIT CITY — The Kuwaiti emir on Sunday accepted the resignation of the interior minister who quit last month over the death of a detainee allegedly as a result of police torture, AFP reported.

“The prime minister informed the cabinet that the emir has accepted the resignation of Interior Minister Sheikh Jaber Khaled al-Sabah,” State Minister for Cabinet Affairs Roudhan al-Roudhan told the state-run KUNA news agency.
The cabinet was also informed that the emir appointed Sheikh Ahmad Homud al-Sabah, a senior member of the ruling family, as deputy premier and new interior minister, Roudhan said.
Sheikh Jaber submitted his resignation on January 13 after the interior ministry acknowledged there was a criminal suspicion behind the death of Mohammad Ghazzai al-Mutairi two days earlier at a police station.
Parliamentary and government probe panels found the man had died of severe torture for six days. Sixteen policemen are under interrogation by the public prosecution in connection to his death.
The new interior minister was a top advisor to Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah and had served as interior minister in 1991-92 and as defense minister in 1994.
After submitting his resignation, the outgoing interior minister was asked to stay on but three opposition lawmakers filed to question him in parliament two weeks ago.
The questioning was due to take place on Tuesday but parliament postponed all sessions until March 8. With the resignation now accepted, Sheikh Jaber will no longer face a parliamentary questioning.
Several MPs welcomed the resignation and called on the new minister to start comprehensive and fundamental reforms in the ministry.
“We look forward for fundamental reforms in the interior ministry after the appointment of Sheikh Ahmad,” independent MP Saadun Hammad said.
But opposition MP Jamaan al-Harbash still called for the resignation of the cabinet to resolve the political deadlock in the Persian Gulf state.
“The acceptance of the minister's resignation is well overdue, but resolving the country's political crisis requires the resignation of the government,” Harbash told reporters outside parliament.
Call for anti-government protest
Also on Sunday a Kuwaiti youth group called for a mass rally outside parliament on Tuesday to protest the government's “undemocratic practices” and to press for its ouster.
The group, Fifth Fence, said it is using short text messages, to urge people to gather in large numbers for the protest.
“We at the Fifth Fence call on the Kuwaiti people to assemble at parliament... on Tuesday to press for our legitimate right of holding sessions and to declare our rejection of the continuity of this government and its undemocratic practices,” the group said in a statement.
Some believe that the proposed protest is linked to the external events, such as the massive anti-regime demonstrations still raging in Egypt.
The group also invited opposition MPs to attend the gathering.
Mohammad Ghazzai al-Mutairi, 35, died on January 11 at a police station after he was severely tortured for six days, according to a parliamentary probe. Sixteen policemen have been arrested in connection to this case.
(Source: AFP and agencies)
Photo: Kuwaiti Interior Minister Sheikh Jaber Khaled al-Sabah in parliament in Kuwait City on January 12, 2011. (Getty Images)
-