S TAT E L E S S B Y D E C R E E • Must “adjust her legal status by coordinating with her embassy to receive the original passport of the previous nationality she held before obtaining Kuwaiti citizenship [...]” • Must resolve their status within “the one-year grace period for adjusting one's legal status, starting from June 1, 2025” (in order to maintain their benefits) The statement also acknowledged that: • The overall process “does not preclude submitting a grievance to the Grievance Committee for Withdrawal, Revocation, and Loss of Kuwaiti Citizenship, established by Cabinet Resolution No. 207 of 2025 and its amendments by Resolution No. 493 of 2025” • The impacted person would be, during the process, ”Treated as a Kuwaiti Individual in accordance with the established regulations” In August 2025, the government reportedly promised that “these women will continue to live ʻdignified livesʼ”. 102 Anecdotal reports suggest that: “affected women now face daily humiliation and a loss of basic rights, [...]a slow form of civil death, where identity is erased step by step under the cover of legality” in a context where - a report asserted - the “[...] policy has no legal, moral, religious, or patriotic justification.” On 9 September 2025, at the close of her mission to Kuwait, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences, Reem al-salem, having embarked on an “Official visit to the State of Kuwait” published Summary Preliminary Findings and Recommendations. 103 The Special Rapporteur reviewed the process and impact of the campaign and noted the incompatibility of womenʼs non-conferral of nationality with international human rights standards but she also highlighted secondary impacts, on children, whereby: “Children of Kuwaiti women married to non-Kuwaiti men face systemic legal and social discrimination due to gaps in nationality and residency laws. Unlike children of Kuwaiti fathers, they do not automatically acquire citizenship and remain dependent on their motherʼs legal status, which they lose upon her death. Under Kuwaiti law, they may inherit their motherʼs movable assets, such as bank deposits, shares, and stocks. However, they are not entitled to inherit real estate or immovable property, including land and buildings.” 104 In relation to the withdrawal of nationality, Reem al-Salem noted that “as of August 2025, between 40,000 and 60,000 individuals have been affected” and that “women bear a disproportionate burden as the majority of those whose citizenship has been revoked [...]”, adding that during her visit she had “[...] come to understand the large-scale negative impact that these unprecedented measures have had on every aspect of the lives of these women and their families.” She asserted that “women who lost their nationality have become more vulnerable in their legal as well as social/marital status. The measures have left many in a profound state of shock and mental suffering. Their suffering has been exacerbated by the increase in bullying and harassment of their children due to this situation.” 105 On 26 June 2026, a social media commentator with nearly 51 thousand “followers”, Lulua al-Husseynan posted that people - seemingly women - in Britain, Switzerland, France, United States and Canada (her order), “[W]ill strive to restore their national identity and rights and entitlements, and they will take all legal steps and file complaints outside Kuwait, and they will submit complaints before United Nations institutions against figures in the state who assisted in the repression and brutality against those whose citizenship was withdrawn [...]”, adding that “[Y]ou [in reference to the government] will be held accountable by the will of God, and you will be barred from traveling the world; you will be pursued by international criminal courts [...]” 106 41

Select target paragraph3

Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents