Suzan El Tahhan Bidoons: A Statelessness Plight in Kuwait ‫مجلة الدراسات القانونية واالقتصادية‬ specifies that "the right to leave a country must include the right to obtain the necessary travel documents." 52 Pursuant to Article 17 of Law No.11 of 1962 concerning passports in Kuwait (the "Passports Law"), the Kuwaiti government hypothetically issues travel documents "temporary passports" to Bidoons, who hold security cards. In practice, the Passports Authority currently grants Bidoons those temporary passports only in one of three cases: travelling for educational purposes, medical treatment, or religious pilgrimage. Typically, these remain valid only for the trip cited in an individual's application. Nawwaf al-Badr, a Bidoons resident and member of the Committee for Kuwaiti Bidoons, told Human Rights Watch, "Our 'passport' is a different color. It is only good for one trip."53 I.E. Discriminatory Culture Translated into National Laws The country's 1959 Nationality Law defined Kuwaiti nationals in article 1 as "persons who were settled in Kuwait before 1920 who maintained their normal residence there until the date of the publication of the law".54 “Approximately onethird of the population was recognized as bone fide citizens, the founding families of the country. Another third was naturalized and granted partial citizenship rights. The remaining third was classified as "Bidoons jinsiya." ”.55 The law has been amended 14 times, becoming more restrictive each time. For example, “the 1959 law (Article 3) granted citizenship to children of a Kuwaiti mother when at least one of four circumstances existed: the father was unknown, 52 UN Human Rights Committee (HRC), CCPR General Comment No. 27: Article 12 (Freedom of Movement), 2 November 1999, CCPR/C/21/Rev.1/Add.9, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/45139c394.html [accessed 2 February 2019] 53 Human Rights Watch, Prisoners of the Past: Kuwaiti Bidoons and the Burden of Statelessness, 13 June 2011, P.29, available at:http://www.refworld.org/docid/4df7191b2.html [accessed 23 December 2015]. 54 Nationality Law of Kuwait, 1959, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6b4ef1c.html [accessed 2 February 2019] 55 Refugees International, Kuwait: State of Exclusion, 25 July 2007, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/47a6ee9bd.html [accessed 20 December 2015] 22