Kuwait: A New Round of Summonses and Arrests to Intimidate and Silence Society
On Tuesday and Wednesday, October 8 and 9, 2024, Kuwaiti authorities initiated a new wave of summonses and arrests, targeting at least 43 individuals, including 12 former members of the National Assembly. These individuals were subsequently released on bail with travel restrictions. This campaign also extended to social media activists, aiming to instill fear and suppress dissent within society.
In a related incident, authorities at Kuwait Airport denied entry to former member of Parliament (MP) and Chairman of the Parliamentary Financial Committee, Shu’aib Al-Muwaizri, citing his refusal to comply with biometric fingerprinting procedures.
Al-Muwaizri, a vocal critic of government corruption, was barred from entering Kuwait, a move that infringes on his right to freedom of movement and the ability to leave and return to his country without restrictions, as enshrined in Article 13, Paragraph 2 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: "Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country."
The Ministry of Interior acknowledged the incident, stating in a press release that he "departed the country voluntarily, failing to comply with the government's procedures, which mandate completing the required biometric fingerprinting process upon entry."
The authorities went further by summoning citizens who had expressed solidarity with him, continuing the repressive policies they have enforced since the dissolution of the National Assembly in May 2024.
On October 4, 2024, former MP Shu’aib Al-Muwaizri announced on his X account (formerly Twitter) his plan to return to Kuwait the next evening. In his post, he called on the Ministry of Interior to affirm its respect for individuals' rights and privacy, urging that biometric fingerprinting not be tied to lockdowns or restrictions. He further stressed that biometric data should not be used as a tool of coercion for vaccinations and sought assurances that the database would remain secure against hacking. Al-Muwaizri refused to undergo biometric fingerprinting without these guarantees.
When he arrived at Kuwait International Airport on October 5, 2024, security forces barred him from entering the country, in violation of Article 28 of the 1962 Kuwaiti Constitution, which stipulates: "No Kuwaiti citizen shall be deported from Kuwait or prevented from returning to it."
Early on Wednesday, October 9, 2024, authorities at Kuwait International Airport arrested Kuwaiti journalist Fahd Al-Salama upon his return from abroad and referred him to the Criminal Court, which denied his release and upheld a two-year prison sentence issued in absentia for insulting the Emir of Kuwait.
Journalist Fahd Al-Salama had posted a tweet on X confirming his intention to return to Kuwait, but he was arrested immediately upon his arrival.
Alkarama has announced that it is preparing a shadow report for the Human Rights Council as part of Kuwait’s Universal Periodic Review, focusing on the human rights situation in the country.