Human rights in Kuwait are a topic of significant concern. Most notably, Kuwait's handling of the stateless Bedoon crisis has come under substantial criticism from international human rights organisations and the United Nations. Although Kuwaiti law including the Constitution of Kuwait theoretically pledges to protect all human rights; the enforcement mechanisms designed to help protect human rights are very limited in Kuwait. Kuwait is a party to several international human rights treaties, including [ 4 ].
The revocation of citizenship is a contentious human rights issue in Kuwait. The lack of transparency and recourse in the process of revoking citizenship, as well as its arbitrary application, is a violation of human rights. A specific issue is that once an individual's citizenship is revoked, they may be referred to the "Central Agency for Illegal Residents," which handles stateless individuals, [ 8 ] further deepening the issue of statelessness in Kuwait.
Since March , Kuwait has witnessed a significant increase in the revocation of citizenships. By early December , the Emir issued a decree to revoke the Kuwaiti citizenship of singer Nawal Al-Kuwaitia , actor Dawood Hussein, and his children who were automatically born with Kuwaiti citizenship through paternal affiliation. Kuwait has the largest number of stateless people in the entire region. From until , the Bedoon were treated as Kuwaiti citizens and guaranteed citizenship: they had free access to education, health care and all the other privileges of citizenship.
In at the height of the IranβIraq War , the Bedoon were reclassified as "illegal residents" and denied Kuwaiti citizenship and its accompanying privileges.
Since , the Kuwaiti government has refused to grant any form of documentation to the Bedoon, including birth certificates, death certificates, identity cards, marriage certificates, and driving licences. The Bedoon also face many restrictions in employment, travel and education. They are not permitted to educate their children in state schools and universities.
