Kuwait's return of Egyptian dissidents unlawful: HRW

Kuwait's deportation of eight Egyptian dissidents linked to the Muslim Brotherhood is unlawful and put them at "grave risk" of torture and prosecution, Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday.

The Gulf state announced on Friday that secret police arrested the men on charges of being members of a "terrorist" cell who had been sentenced to prison in Egypt.

Kuwait's deputy foreign minister Khaled al-Jarallah told reporters on Sunday the men were handed over to the Egyptian authorities.

"The deportation of the men appears to violate Kuwait's obligations under international law," HRW said in a statement.

The New York-based rights group called on Kuwait to end further deportations to Egypt of anyone at risk of mistreatment.

"Kuwaiti authorities have put at grave risk eight men who fled mass oppression in Egypt and thought they had found refuge in Kuwait," said HRW's Middle East and North Africa director, Sarah Leah Whitson.

"It's horrendous that Kuwait is acting at the behest of abusive Egyptian security agencies and returning dissidents to face torture and persecution."