Kuwait executes seven in first use of death penalty since 2013

The Government of Kuwait executed seven prisoners by hanging on 25 January 2017. Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah authorized the executions, which took place at the country’s central prison. Kuwait’s hangings come on the heels of recent executions in Bahrain and signal another disappointing move away from death penalty moratoria in the region. Those[…]

Kuwait Using Travel Bans to Ensure Compliance and Payment

In the past three years, the total number of people facing a travel ban in Kuwait has reached 239,911.  In 2015 alone, Kuwaiti authorities ordered a total of 182,397 travel bans. Kuwait General Department of Sentences Enforcement statistics show that officials issued 22,616 travel bans during the first quarter of 2016. These bans make it[…]

UN Committee against Torture releases Concluding Observations on Kuwait

On 12 August 2016, the United Nations (UN) Committee against Torture (CAT) adopted its concluding observations for Kuwait’s third periodic report. Ahead of the review, Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) submitted a shadow report to the Committee detailing the Government of Kuwait’s failings to adequately address ongoing allegations of the torture[…]

UN Experts Grill Kuwait on Torture, Trafficking, Violence against Women

On 25 and 26 July 2016, Kuwait undertook its periodic review under the Convention against Torture, wherein the Committee in charge of implementing the Convention quizzed Kuwait on the implementation of its international obligations. Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) assesses that the Committee accurately understood the situation of torture as being[…]

UN HRC Releases Remarks Regarding Kuwait’s ICCPR Review

On 15 July 2016, the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Committee (HRC) published the findings of its review of Kuwait’s adherence to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The Government of Kuwait acceded to the ICCPR on 21 May 1996. It is one of only two members of the Gulf Cooperation Council[…]