Suzan El Tahhan Bidoons: A Statelessness Plight in Kuwait ‫مجلة الدراسات القانونية واالقتصادية‬ paternity could not be proven, the father's nationality was anonymous, or he was stateless when amended in 1980, the mention of unknown nationality and statelessness was omitted”. 56 Nationality is a matter of sovereignty, and by law, courts cannot review sovereign actions of the state. Accordingly, Bidoons cannot petition the courts to have their citizenship claims adjudicated.57 In addition, a 1990 law removed the courts' jurisdiction over all matters of national sovereignty, including citizenship claims and administrative decisions denying Bidoons temporary travel documents.58 II. LEGAL STATUS OF BIDOONS II.A. International Protection II.A.1. Universal Declaration of Human Rights and The Right to Nationality Article 15 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), adopted in 1948, asserts "everyone has the right to a nationality," in addition to that "no one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality. However, a declaration is non-binding; this principle has been assured in many conventions and practices that it's considered customary international law that all states must respect. Though international law requires states to consider individuals' "genuine plus effective links" with a country in evaluating citizenship claims, such as: social, cultural, and economic ties59; reports indicate that in Kuwait, the Ministry of Interiors declined many nationality claims for Bidoons without providing enough information about the criteria of their decisions. There are often lengthy and 56 Ibid. Human Rights Watch, Prisoners of the Past: Kuwaiti Bidoons and the Burden of Statelessness, 13 June 2011, P.7, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/4df7191b2.html [accessed 23 December 2015]. 58 Decree Law No. 23 of 1990 on Regulation of the Judiciary Law in Kuwait. 59 Human Rights Watch, Prisoners of the Past: Kuwaiti Bidoons and the Burden of Statelessness, 13 June 2011, P.7, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/4df7191b2.html [accessed 23 December 2015]. 57 23