SALAM DHR Report: “Kuwait: Stateless by Decree - End Kuwait's Harmful Citizenship Stripping Crisis.”
Image showing the prominent architecture of Kuwait
In November 2025, the Global Movement Against Statelessness (GMAS) contributed to a report by SALAM for Democracy and Human Rights titled “Kuwait: Stateless by Decree - End Kuwait's Harmful Citizenship Stripping Crisis.”
The report was published amid an unprecedented citizenship-stripping campaign in Kuwait. Since September 2024, the Kuwaiti government has reportedly revoked the citizenship of up to 200,000 people. Those affected include women who acquired citizenship through marriage to Kuwaiti nationals, their children and descendants, as well as perceived political opponents. As a result many have been rendered stateless, placed at risk of statelessness, or compelled to seek the restoration of a previously held nationality that they had renounced in order to comply with Kuwait's prohibition on dual citizenship.
The report highlights the profound human rights consequences of these measures. Citizenship revocation has far-reaching implications, affecting individuals' access to education, healthcare, employment, social protection, and legal identity. It has also deprived many of their ability to participate fully in public life and exercise their civil and political rights. The impact has fallen disproportionate on women and children, raising serious concerns about discrimination and the potential long-term consequences for affected families and future generations.
As part of the report's launch, SALAM-DHR convened a webinar bringing together human rights advocates, experts, and affected communities to discuss the unfolding crisis. GMAS participated in the discussion, contributing perspectives on statelessness, the consequences of arbitrary deprivation of nationality, and opportunities for international solidarity and action.
The webinar explored what has taken place in Kuwait, the implications for those affected, and the urgent need for accountability and rights-based responses. Participants reflected on the role that civil society, international organisations, states, and human rights mechanisms can play in supporting affected communities and preventing further cases of statelessness. The discussion also underscored the importance of safeguarding the right to nationality and ensuring that citizenship is never used as a tool of exclusion or political punishment.
