General update
On 21st May 2024, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women concluded its consideration of the sixth periodic report of Kuwait, with Committee Experts commending the State for the efforts made to advance women’s socio-economic empowerment, while raising questions on the practice of “honour” killings and Kuwait’s nationality law.
Expression
On 3rd May 2024, the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) reported that authorities in Kuwait had detained former National Assembly candidate Mesaed Al-Quraifa in flagrant violation of his right to freedom of expression. Al-Quraifa uses his account on the X website to express his personal opinions on public affairs. On 28th May 2024, GCHR reported that he had been sentenced to four years’ imprisonment with hard labour after being convicted of “insulting the authority of the emirate” during a symposium at his electoral headquarters when he ran for the 2024 National Assembly elections.
On 23rd April 2024, Al-Quraifa was arrested after the Public Prosecution ordered his pretrial detention on these charges. The Public Prosecution imprisoned him for 21 days in the central prison pending investigations after he denied all charges against him. Reliable local reports confirmed that he was prevented from meeting his family members or his lawyer, in violation of local laws and human rights conventions. On 15th April 2024, he posted the following tweet, “The continuation of the current situation is a danger to the future of the country… The political system must be reformed so that it is effective and the people have their role and say in forming the government.”
GCHR reported that Al-Quraifa’s arrest, conviction and imprisonment are related to comments he made during the election symposium he held on 30th March 2024 with local residents under the title, “What Must Be Said”. Among his comments was, “Kuwait is not a testing ground for members of the ruling family.” He also defended the rights of all citizens to participate in creating a new, prosperous future.
On 10th April 2024, GCHR reported that the Kuwaiti government continues to target exiled blogger Salman Al-Khalidi, using all means at its disposal, and recently decided to arbitrarily revoke his Kuwaiti citizenship. On 7th April 2024, an Amiri decree was issued bearing the signature of the Emir of the country, Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, which stated that citizenship had been withdrawn from three citizens, including Al-Khalidi.
Upon learning of the arbitrary decision through the media, Al-Khalidi stated to GCHR that, “What the Emir of the country did by withdrawing my nationality is due to his desire for broad political revenge, not only against me for my peaceful activities in the field of human rights, but the decree includes my children and grandchildren who have acquired the nationality of their country dependent on me.” Al-Khalidi added, “Becoming stateless due to an arbitrary, unjust decision is a blatant violation of my right to obtain the citizenship of my country, and it will not change the truth at all. I will remain affiliated with Kuwait, its land and its people, for the rest of my life.”
The courts also issued several prison sentences against Al-Khalidi in absentia, bringing the number of years he must spend in prison to 21. These sentences are all linked to allegations relating to his peaceful use of his account on X (formerly Twitter) to express his personal opinions on public issues of concern to citizens in Kuwait, and his defence of the civil and humanitarian rights of the Bedoon community, as well as of prisoners of conscience, in addition to his work as a founding member of the Kuwaiti Refugee Association. The headquarters of the Association, which was established in August 2022, are in the United Kingdom.