General update
On 9th September 2025, the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences, Reem Alsalem, commented on her recent mission to Kuwait. She encouraged the government to build on progress it has made in advancing the rights of women and girls, particularly through the latest round of legal reform, whilst expressing her concerns about violence against women and girls, including sexual harassment and digital violence in Kuwaiti society. In this regard, the Special Rapporteur recommended that the government renew and adjust the current institutional architecture for the prevention and response to discrimination and violence. Alsalem also expressed deep concern over the revocation of Kuwaiti nationality of tens of thousands of individuals; significantly and disproportionately impacting women who had naturalised through marriage.
During the 60th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva which was held between 8th September to 8th October 2025, civil society noted that Kuwait rejected all recommendations to adopt international legal instruments, end the use of the death penalty, and resolve the status of the Bidoon community. It did accept a few recommendations on the Freedoms of Expression, Association and Assembly. GCHR and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) made a joint submission to the UN Universal Periodic Review of Kuwait for the 49th Session of the UPR Working Group.
Expression
In September 2025, the general prosecutor brought cases against the former deputy speaker of the Kuwaiti National Assembly, Mohammed Al-Mutair. This is not the first time that Al-Mutair has faced a case filed by the General Prosecutor. In 2024, he faced charges of “insulting the Emir’s authority” and “questioning the integrity of the Constitutional Court Judges.” In response, Al-Mutair has filed a request for the recusal of three judges from hearing his case before the Criminal Court. The trial was suspended in September 2025.
In an unprecedented retaliation, the General Prosecutor, Saad Al-Safraan, ordered the freezing of all assets of Al-Mutair in Kuwaiti Banks on accusations of corruption, relying on the Anti-Money Laundering Law or the Public Funds Protection Law.
This case against Al-Mutair was one of a series of cases targeting him since the dissolution of the National Assembly in May 2024, alongside other cases that targeted other outspoken members. This ongoing targeting reflects the Kuwaiti government’s determination to consolidate its power and prevent public representation amidst gross violations of constitutional rights and freedoms in Kuwait.
Similar cases, previously documented on the Monitor, have demonstrated a pattern by the Kuwaiti General Prosecution of bringing cases against former National Assembly members for expressing concerns over grave violations of human rights.
On 28th July 2025, prominent Bedoon human rights defender Mohammed Al-Barghash was sentenced to three years in prison after he was convicted of broadcasting false news about the Central Agency for Illegal Residents’ Affairs on his X account. His conviction came after his June 2025 arrest, which was previously documented on the Monitor.