Background
On 15 February the emir dissolved the National Assembly, elected in June 2023, because of its “persistence in using offensive, undisciplined language that did not comport with the respect due to his Royal Highness”, after MP AbdulKarim al-Kandari responded to the emir’s criticism of the legislature. Parliamentary elections were held on 4 April, but the emir dissolved the newly elected National Assembly on 10 May before it convened and suspended parliamentary government and elections for four years.
Freedom of expression
Authorities significantly increased attacks on freedom of expression, arresting critics of the government, especially critics of the emir,1 using existing legislation including the national security section of the 1970 Penal Code and the Print and Publishing Law of 2006.
On 25 January a trial court sentenced Anwar Hayati to four years’ imprisonment in his absence for social media posts that criticized Kuwait’s system of governance and royal family members. Anwar Hayati had been living in exile in Europe since he received a summons for interrogation from the Office of the Public Prosecution in September 2023.
On 31 January a court of appeal sentenced Bidun activist Mohamed al-Bargash to three years in prison for social media posts criticizing Kuwait’s policies towards the Bidun. His imprisonment had a chilling effect on other activists; he had been the most prominent activist to publicly raise concerns about the treatment of the Bidun over the previous two years.
On 19 February a trial court sentenced activist Abdullah Fairouz and online media manager Fuhaid al-Ajami to prison terms for having an online discussion in which Abdullah Fairouz alleged that the government had business dealings with Israel, contrary to Kuwaiti law. In June, an appellate court reversed Fuhaid al-Ajami’s conviction, and he was freed. It upheld Abdullah Fairouz’s three-year prison sentence.
On 22 May a trial court sentenced parliamentary candidate Mesaed al-Quraifah to four years’ imprisonment for criticizing the royal family’s involvement in politics in a campaign speech. The appeal trial was ongoing at the end of the year. On 2 June, authorities began the prosecution of parliamentarian Mohammad al-Mutair on a similar charge. On 20 June, authorities sentenced former parliamentarian and current candidate Hamad al-‘Ulyan to two years’ imprisonment on similar charges. On 24 June a court sentenced former parliamentarian Waleed al-Tabtaba’i to four years’ imprisonment for a social media post that criticized the emir’s suspension of constitutional parliamentary government; an appellate court upheld the conviction on 19 September but reduced the sentence to two years. On 29 July a trial court sentenced parliamentarian Anwar al-Fikr to three years’ imprisonment on the charge of challenging the emir’s authority on social media. Mohammad al-Mutair, Hamad al-‘Ulyan and Anwar al-Fikr were released on bail on 2 June, 8 July and 8 September respectively, pending the outcome of their trials or appeals. Anwar al-Fikr faced a second, ongoing prosecution on the charge of undermining the emir’s authority during an electoral speech.
Right to housing
In September the Ministries of Defence and the Interior jointly announced the withdrawal of government housing “for non-Kuwaiti beneficiaries at the end of [their] military service”. This amounted to a discriminatory housing policy because it meant that many Bidun, large numbers of whom serve in the Kuwaiti military, would lose their housing, while Kuwaiti nationals retired from military service retained this benefit.
Freedom of movement
In July the minister for the interior and defence, Fahd Yusuf al-Sabah, announced that all travel documents issued to Bidun were annulled. Bidun people remained ineligible for regular Kuwaiti passports due to the state’s refusal to recognize them as Kuwaiti nationals. Under Article 17 of the Passports Law, they were able to apply for a special travel document (an “Article 17 passport”), although standards for issuance were arbitrary and subject to abuse, including bribery. The minister’s action in July effectively eliminated the Bidun’s right to travel. The government announced that issuance of Article 17 passports was frozen “with the exception of humanitarian cases (medical treatment and education)”, for which Bidun could apply (or re-apply) subject to a case-by-case review. On 28 November a new residency law (Amiri Decree 114/2024) was approved for foreign nationals in Kuwait, introducing clarifications and extending some periods of stay. It did not apply to Bidun people.
Right to a healthy environment
Unusually extreme heat continued, with record temperatures recorded in late May being 4°C to 5°C above past averages. The meteorologist for state television, Isa Ramadan, acknowledged that this was partly due to human-induced climate change. Nevertheless, in March the state-owned Kuwait Petroleum Corporation’s chief executive announced that Kuwait intended to increase oil production capacity from 3 to 4 million barrels per day by 2035, and Kuwait announced further increases when it discovered new reserves in the Al-Nokhatha oil field in July.
Freedom of peaceful assembly
As in previous years, outdoor processions for the Shia holy period of Ashura were banned.
For the second consecutive year there were no public protests of significant size, following the prosecution of rare demonstrations by Bidun Kuwaitis in 2022.
Migrants’ rights
Migrant workers lacked legal protections and remained at risk of abuse because of the kafala sponsorship system.
On 12 June at least 49 Indian migrant workers were killed and 50 others injured when a fire broke out in an overcrowded residence, raising concerns about living conditions and health and safety issues faced by migrant workers in Kuwait.
On 1 July the minister for the interior and defence announced that security forces had launched a nationwide campaign to find “violators” of the Residency Law, in order to detain and deport them. Security authorities warned that anyone sheltering someone who had overstayed their visa could also be subject to prosecution. The government-controlled domestic press reported that more than 700 migrants were arrested within the first 24 hours of the campaign, as security forces closed off entrances and exits to neighbourhoods and moved through the streets stopping migrants to check their documents. Deportations were conducted without any guarantee of the right to challenge their legality, even though almost all migrant workers were entirely dependent on their employers to apply for their visa renewals. Scores of migrants were detained for months awaiting deportation with no legal recourse.
Death penalty
Kuwait continued to impose new death sentences, including for drug-related offences which do not meet the threshold of the “most serious crimes” under international law. The authorities carried out executions for the third consecutive year.
