GENERAL
The dire implications of withdrawal and revocation of nationality in Kuwait continues to raise concern since 2024. Kuwait’s nationality system has undergone significant changes since 2024. The most recent major revision is Decree-Law No. 52 of 2026, published in the Kuwait Al-Youm Official Gazette on 10th May 2026. It amends the long-standing Emiri Decree No. 15 of 1959 on Kuwaiti nationality. The government presents the revision as an effort to modernise nationality rules, protect Kuwait’s national identity, and establish clearer controls over the granting, loss, withdrawal, and revocation of citizenship.
The amendments, however, raise substantial human rights concerns. The most important involve gender discrimination in transmission of nationality, the risk of statelessness, broad executive authority to withdraw citizenship, and limited judicial remedies. These concerns are particularly significant because Kuwait has already revoked the nationality of tens of thousands of people in recent years, disproportionately affecting women who had acquired citizenship through marriage to Kuwaiti men.
Major changes in the revised law include:
- Citizenship remains strongly based on paternal descent
- Kuwaiti women remain unable to transmit nationality on equal terms
- Foreign wives do not automatically acquire citizenship
- Stricter rules concerning dual nationality
- Kuwaitis by origin are subjected to nationality withdrawal
- Naturalised citizens and their descendants have no political rights
- Expanded consequences of losing nationality
Association
Civil society has also expressed concern around cases of Human Rights Defenders (HRDs), inside or outside Kuwait, who have been severely affected for advocating against the amendments and the revocation of citizenship rights, and has highlighted how the changes in the Kuwaiti Nationality Law, so far, have exacerbated the problem of stateless persons (Bedoon) in Kuwait, who number over 92,000, at one of the highest numbers in the world.
Expression
Authorities continue to target Kuwaiti members of the National Assembly, which was dissolved by the Emir, Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, in May 2024.
On 5th September 2026, the First Circuit of the Court of Cassation issued final rulings, sentencing, convicting, and suspending sentences against a group of former members of the National Assembly, as well as a number of activists and bloggers. These rulings concerned several cases related to publishing tweets and posts, with charges including “challenging the rights and powers of the Emir,” “spreading false news that could harm the country’s internal interests and situation,” and “insulting the judiciary,” in addition to the biometric fingerprinting case. Previously, the Court of Appeal had issued suspended prison sentences and fines against a number of these MPs.
This case, known in the media as the biometric fingerprinting case, began in May 2023 when the Kuwaiti Ministry of Interior imposed biometric fingerprinting (finger and facial biometric scanning) as a requirement for citizens and residents. Some former members of the National Assembly and activists opposed the decision, posting tweets on social media criticising the procedures. The Public Prosecution charged them with spreading false and malicious news and rumours about internal affairs and attributing false accusations to the Ministry of Interior, which the court deemed “undermining the prestige of the state.”