The Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) has been receiving several testimonies on the catastrophic implications of withdrawing nationality from naturalised citizens in Kuwait. One testimony, outlined below, is related to a third-generation family who had their nationality withdrawn.

One of the family members, H.A., who spoke with GCHR on condition of anonymity, expressed very alarming details of the consequences of the decision. The family legally obtained their nationality through their Kuwaiti grandmother who was married to a foreigner and who was later divorced. The law at the time allowed the children of a Kuwaiti mother who remained in Kuwait to legally obtain the nationality, along with their children born in Kuwait.

This is a case study of the magnitude of suffering for those affected. A law-abiding citizen, H.A. is a 40-year-old Kuwaiti father of three and works in the private sector. He has a monthly salary from his employer and an equal salary from the government, which is a policy made for Kuwaitis working in the private sector. He was in the process of building his house, on a government housing loan, when he learned of the withdrawal of his nationality. The law states that he can only get an ownership certificate of the house once the building is completed and the loan is fully paid.

He has a child with a disability who relies on financial support from the government designed for disabled Kuwaitis. Citizen H.A, his parents, his two siblings and their children learnt of the withdrawal of their nationality through the state-published lists in the newspaper. There was no clear information on what to expect after the withdrawal.

He was given 3-4 months to “prove sincerity”, a phrase used by the authorities to indicate an intent to restore his original nationality or obtain other nationality. To show sincerity, he was told to submit his nationality document and sign a voluntary waiver at the Supreme Committee for Kuwaiti Citizenship Investigation.

Those who show sincerity and submit their document would be granted one year from the date of withdrawal to pursue another nationality and be given a stateless identification document. Those who failed to show sincerity within 3-4 months would not be granted the one-year grace period.

H.A. hesitated to do so as his Kuwaiti nationality was obtained legally and he suspected the illegality of such a procedure. Instead, he chose to leave Kuwait, with his brother and two families, and seek asylum in another country before the 3-4 month-period ends.

At his private-sector job, an appendix was attached to his contract with additional conditions. He was told that as a non-Kuwaiti he would be denied the same pay and benefits as a Kuwaiti. His contract will only be valid for 1-2 years and not automatically renewed as Kuwaitis are. His half pay from the Kuwaiti government was suspended as well as the disability support for his child. His reduced income made it impossible for him to keep up with paying his house loans, living expenses and children’s needs.

Children will not be able to enrol in schools if their denaturalised father does not restore his original nationality nor obtain another one. Moreover, children of denaturalised citizens will not be able to enrol in university, even if they adjusted the nationality issue, except on their own expenses.

Additionally, citizen H.A. indicated that he was no longer able to obtain any banking services except using his account to withdraw funds. He also said that all other banking services became inaccessible for him after his nationality was withdrawn. Standard bank accounts of denaturalised citizens are flagged for suspension according to the government’s directives.

He told us that former Kuwaitis working in the public sector, mainly in the military, had similar experiences. They were all forced to leave their jobs, once their nationality was withdrawn.

Lawyers who had their nationality withdrawn were also forced to leave their positions, as the law does not allow non-Kuwaitis to represent people in courts.

Kuwaitis whose nationality were withdrawn and who worked in the public sector were told that they will be offered contracts with lower pay than their current positions. H.A.’s siblings were both public employees who did not ever sign contracts for their jobs as Kuwaitis. Once their nationality was withdrawn, they were told that contracts will be drafted and will be renewed every 1-2 years. They were expected not to spend their monthly payments until the contracts are drawn up and signed, even after months, as those payments would be returned to the government since they are higher than their new pay as non-Kuwaitis.

The withdrawal of nationality has affected thousands of naturalised Kuwaitis who were employed in the military. The state resorted to rehire some of the former military personnel in the fire and civil defence departments in non-leadership positions; therefore, largely affecting their previous professional and financial status.

Citizen H.A. indicated that with the exception of foreign wives of Kuwaiti citizens who had their nationality withdrawn, retirement services have been suspended. Other denaturalised citizens will receive only what they paid for retirement contributions as a sum if they did not reach the retirement age.

Banks have issued an order to hold any money returned from the retirement accounts to the accounts of the denaturalised citizens as a way to pay back loans or any outstanding debts. As a consequence, denaturalised citizens will not get their usual monthly payment from their jobs but will still be required to continue paying loans and other debts.

Telecommunications companies have done the same, refusing to allow denaturalised customers to cancel, change, or switch their accounts to other service providers. Therefore, denaturalised citizens are expected to fulfil their contractual payments even when their income has been reduced or suspended.

In short, the livelihoods of citizens who have had their citizenship revoked, with a few exceptions for certain categories, have been cut off. Access to official documents, legal avenues to appeal executive decisions to revoke citizenship, housing, income, banking services, and healthcare has become impossible. This is a catastrophic situation affecting more than 70,000 individuals and their entire families, without exception.

GCHR calls on the Kuwaiti authorities to immediately halt the campaign of citizenship revocation and reinstate it for those from whom it has been revoked, as Kuwait needs all its citizens. The rule of law must be restored, and the judiciary must play its role in such serious decisions affecting a citizen’s nationality, a right that should not be arbitrarily violated as is currently happening.

The Kuwaiti authorities must provide urgent basic services to those affected. GCHR also calls on UN mechanisms and independent international monitoring bodies to use their available resources to work towards restoring citizenship to affected citizens and ensuring they are provided with fair compensation.