Kuwait - September 2024

On 25 September, the Kuwaiti Cabinet approved amendments to the 1959 Nationality Law. These changes end the automatic citizenship granted to foreign wives of Kuwaiti men and expand the government's power to revoke citizenship. Grounds for revocation now include crimes related to honour, integrity, or state security, as well as offenses against religion, the Prophets, or the Emir. Citizenship may also be revoked if an individual was dismissed from a government position for disciplinary reasons, if it is deemed necessary for state interests due to threats to the country's ‘economic or social systems’, or if a person has ties to ‘foreign political organizations.’ Previous instances of citizenship being revoked from political opponents and minorities have raised fears that the amended law may be enforced in an arbitrary and discriminatory manner. The draft law, which is yet to be promulgated by the Emir, was approved by the Cabinet without input from parliament, which was dissolved in May 2024.

Sources: KUNA, Arab Times, Gulf News, ADHRB, International IDEA