Articles for Kuwait

The Kuwaiti authorities have recently issued a decision requiring citizens to undergo both genetic and biometric fingerprinting to verify their entitlement to citizenship.

On October 11, 2024, Alkarama submitted its report as part of Kuwait's fourth Universal Periodic Review (UPR), which will take place during the 49th session (April 28 to May 9, 2025) in Geneva.

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. 

Alkarama expresses its concern about the ongoing repression campaign in Kuwait since the issuance of an emirate decree, which led to the dissolution of parliament and the suspension of certain articles of the constitution in May 2024, in violation of the country's international human rights commitments and the recommendations of relevant United Nations bodies, particularly during the last periodic review of the State. 

On 6 November 2023, Alkarama submitted to the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, the case of Salman AL KHALDI, a Kuwaiti activist sentenced in absentia on 26 September 2023 to five years in prison by the Supreme Court for posts on social networks. 

Arrest for publications 

The Kuwaiti Ministry of Interior arrested a group of former MPs, activists and academics at an official press conference to show solidarity with the National Assembly MP Badr Al-Dahoum, denouncing the decision of the Constitutional Court to cancel the parliamentary status of the deputy, on the pretext that he insulted the Emir of Kuwait, Sabah Al-Ahmad. The people arrested were later released.

On 15 July 2019 Kuwait extradited eight Egyptian political opponents who were arrested three days before allegedly at the request of the Egyptian government. Alkarama submitted an urgent appeal to the Special Rapporteur on Torture against bother Kuwait and Egypt calling upon the UN expert to urge the two states to respect their international human rights obligations.

On June 18, 2019, Alkarama has submitted its shadow report ahead of Kuwait’s upcoming third Universal Periodic Review (UPR) before the UN Human Rights Council that is scheduled to take place in January 2020.

(Geneva, July 20, 2018) – Alkarama has requested the urgent intervention of the United Nations Special Rapporteurs on freedom of expression (SRFRDX) and peaceful assembly (SRPAA) in the case of 20 MPs and opposition activists who were handed their final se

On March 16, 2018, as part of a larger Statelessness Committee of NGOs and academic partners, the Alkarama Foundation participated in a side event organised in the context of the 37th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva to discuss the current situation of statelessness, restrictive nationality laws and the revocation of citizenship in the Gulf.