Kuwaiti government must end campaign of mass citizenship stripping and repeal recent amendments to Nationality Law

Kuwaiti authorities must end the relentless wave of citizenship stripping and review their Nationality Law to ensure compliance with international human rights standards, NGOs say.

By January 2025 alone, reports indicated that Kuwait’s Supreme Committee to Investigate Kuwaiti Citizenship, a governmental body chaired by Sheikh Fahad Yusuf Saud al-Sabah, First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, and Minister of Interior, stripped over 10 000 people of their citizenship. The Committee’s decisions are not subject to judicial oversight or appeal, and are merely brought for approval before the Cabinet.

This wave is the most recent  of many as the Kuwaiti government has considerably accelerated citizenship stripping in recent months, with over 35 000 individuals losing their citizenship between August and December 2024. As Kuwait does not recognize dual citizenship, this risks leaving hundreds or thousands of individuals stateless, in a country that already marginalises the “Bidoon” community, with many more expecting to face difficulties obtaining civil documents or having access to education and healthcare, as well as seeking employment.

In parallel, Kuwait’s legal framework has become more restrictive as significant amendments to Kuwait’s 1959 Nationality Law – which has long been used to marginalise and even silence stateless Bidoon rights activists – were enacted. Though the changes only entered into force in December 2024 when Decree-Law No. 116/2024 was published in the Official Gazette, they had already been approved by the Cabinet on September 24, 2024, and started to be enforced and applied retroactively, in violation of article 32 of the Constitution.

Among the amendments, new article 8 stipulates that a foreign woman who marries a Kuwaiti can no longer acquire citizenship. 

Modified article 13 also adds conditions for administrative [ie, government decision, not a legal process with right of contestation] citizenship revocation and notably stipulates that Kuwaiti nationality may be revoked by decree for “individuals convicted for crimes of honour, trust, state security, or offenses against religious sanctities or the Amir”, will also be stripped of their citizenship. Lastly, a provision was included to strip individuals and their relatives of their citizenship “in case authorities see an infringement on the state higher interest or external security”. 

These recent measures occurred amidst a context of escalating political repression following the new Emir’s decision to dissolve the recently elected parliament in May 2024, a dissolution which could last up to four years, as well as the suspension of certain constitutional provisions.

Other recent concerning measures infringing on fundamental rights and freedoms include the compulsory collection of biometrics from citizens and residents ordered in 2023, allegedly to “bolster the country’s national security architecture”, without any law or regulation to ensure the respect of individuals’ right to privacy. Even more concerning is the fact that Kuwaiti authorities plan on sharing biometric data with other members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) as part of a “regional security network”. 

In light of the above, the undersigned urge the Kuwaiti government to immediately suspend the revocation of citizenship stripping until the Nationality Law is fully amended and aligned with international human rights standards and international best practice. Authorities should also reinstate the nationality of all those who lost it without due process and the possibility to challenge the withdrawal before a court. We also urge parties to the Global Alliance to End Statelessness, succeeding to the UNHCR-led #IBelong campaign (2014-2024), to call on Kuwait to conduct its affairs in line with the spirit and letter of international standards and best practice.

Signatories:

HuMENA for Human Rights and Civic Engagement

Minority Rights Group

MENA Rights Group

DAWN

MENA Statelessness Network (Hawiati)

Rights Realization Centre

Salam for Democracy and Human Rights

Global Movement Against Statelessness

ALQST for Human Rights