Kuwait rejects votes for women

Kuwait - As the Arab world marked the 10th anniversary of the opening of the US-led military campaign to liberate Kuwait from…

Kuwait - As the Arab world marked the 10th anniversary of the opening of the US-led military campaign to liberate Kuwait from Iraqi occupation, the Kuwaiti constitutional court rejected votes for women, Michael Jansen reports. The presiding judge, Mr Abdullah al-Issa, explained yesterday's decision by saying: "Rights are defined by existing law, until it is amended."

The verdict left campaigners for women's suffrage caught between the court, which refuses to overturn legislation, and the 50-member parliament, which has rejected attempts to extend the vote to women.