Veteran Kuwaiti opposition figure released from jail

Kuwaiti opposition figure Mussallam al-Barrak made a defiant speech to his supporters after leaving jail for the first time in two years.

"One day I said and I repeat: History will jail those who sent me to jail," Barrak told the cheering crowd.

Barrak was greeted by hundreds of supporters outside Kuwait's central prison after he was jailed for insulting the country's emir in public.

Barrak has been a constant thorn in the side of the government and served as a member of the Kuwaiti national assembly with the often troublesome Popular Action Bloc.  

He was sentenced to two years in prison following comments he made during a rally in 2012, and has been critical of electoral reforms in Kuwait.

Although relatively free compared to other Gulf states, protests during the Arab Spring led to a clampdown by security on opposition activists. 

Dozens were put on trail for critical comments of Kuwait's emir or other Gulf rulers.

Barack is the most senior, and the most popular, opposition leader to be jailed in an unprecedented government crackdown on dissent in the kingdom. 

Agencies contributed to this story.