Kuwaiti member of the parliament Mishary Al-Hussainy has recently accused 37 thousand of Bedoon of being militants of The Sadir Army of Iraq. The MP’s statement was not a new accusation for the Bedoon as many parliament members keep accusing the Bedoon over years of being disloyal. Bedoon took that to protest in Taimaa demanding accountability of the MP for his false statements.

Head of coordination section in Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry Khaled al-Mghamis spoke today against reports coming from the United States regarding Human Rights status in Kuwait. Al-Mghamis used UN Human Rights Council report as evidence that Kuwait is doing well regarding the human rights situation. He said those reports are ‘political’ and not objective adding that the Bedoon are not ‘stateless’, they are ‘illegal residents.’

- source

A group of 29 academics and writers issued a petition demanding the parliament’s committee for Human Rights to put regulations for naturalization of Bedoon regardless of racial, geographical, tribal, or sectarian differences. The statement reads:

The government started a project to naturalize 4000 Bedoon after the parliament’s committee puts regulations for the choices that will be made. We hope that the the committee would put regulations based on legibility and documents for those deserving. We, the signatories below, demand that those choices are made regardless of racial, geographical, tribal, or sectarian differences. We also demand that the committee follows the constitution and its citizenship laws. Also, the committee should put into consideration international treatments Kuwait has signed. We hope no one would abuse the cause of Bedoon to naturalize others for personal interests as this only reflect negatively on this cause and further complicate it.

- Source

[Copy of the votes' sheet of the parliament to the naturalization decision]

From the BBC: “Kuwait’s parliament has passed a bill to grant citizenship to up to 4,000 “foreigners”, which MPs hope will help solve the problem of stateless people. All but two MPs voted in favour of the law, which must be signed by the emir. The legislation was amended to say “4,000 foreigners” rather than “4,000 stateless people”, known locally as “Bidun”, amid pressure from ministers.”

Two MPs Abdulatif Al-Ateeqi and Adel Al-Khrafi did not vote in favor for the regulation. Once again, Bedoon were not assured to be the only group to be naturalized. Previously, the parliament and government approved such laws without delivering including their promise 10 years ago to naturalize 2000 Bedoon every year. The bedoon struggle is what is pushing for such laws to come along but officials are abusing this to naturalize others for personal considerations.

Bedoon activist Abdulhakim Al-Fadhli was released on the 24th of March after being being acquitted of a two years in jail sentence for attacking a police man. Al-Fadhli was asking for his right to be bailed out until the appeal is processed but the prosecutor did not allow him to do so although he is stateless and has no passport to escape the country. Al-Fadhli was supposed to be released last week but was kept in detention for other two cases with charges for organizing protests and protesting on the October 2nd protest in Taimaa. Here’s a speech Abdulhakim gave shortly after his release in a public event organized by “the Popular Committee to Organize the Movement” on political convicts in Kuwait.

Last year, a group of Bedoon and Kuwaiti children were arrested only because they are residents of Taimaa area where all Bedoon protests happen. They were kept for several days and bailed out. In this short documentary, Group29 interviewed some of them to speak about the horrors they faced in detention. One of those arrested said: “They cuffed my foots. They forced me to walk with them until my foots were bleeding. They made me sleep next to the bathroom. They made sure we suffer.” He adds: “I lay in bed and I remember what they did to me. I am slowly trying to forget. You cannot Imagine it.” Another said: “Because of what they did to me, I do not go out anymore. I am too afraid.”

Mohammed al-Fadhli is one of the prominent names in defending Bedoon rights. Not only has he volunteered to defend many Bedoon protesters and activists but he has also attended multiple protests to document violations committed by state police. In a protest in Taimaa, on the 6th of July 2012, al-Fadhli was arbitrarily arrested. He stated several times that the riot police have attacked him; he has also obtained medical reports proving his arm injury. In a court session on the 13th of March 2013, al-Fadhli was sentenced in absentia to a month in jail for “resisting police arrest” after a case submitted by police officer Ali Madhi (known for taking part in police violence against Kuwaiti and Bedoon protesters.)

In one of its attempts to assure international NGOs, Kuwait has been promising jobs in public sectors for the Bedoon. The country has set up many requirements for Bedoon applicants including higher education, holding the 65 census, and being children of Bedoon soldiers. In reality, there are more obstacles put against Bedoon teachers before getting those jobs. According to interviews by Sabr newspaper, a group of Bedoon teachers stated the following:

- Bedoon applicants were asked to provide proof that their fathers fought in the liberation war (first Gulf war).

- Bedoon applicants were required to be children of Kuwaiti mothers.

- Bedoon applicants who are graduates of the Arab Open University were rejected. Non-Kuwaiti applicants who graduated from the same university were not turned away. The university is legally recognized and certified by the ministry of higher education.

As for the status of those hired, the first group had 137 Bedoon and the second group had 45 Bedoon. Those Bedoon face the following violations against their labor and human rights:

- They are hired with one-year contracts that give all the right for the ministry to end their services.

- They are given no end-of-service compensation, no days off, and no maternity leave for women.

- They are hired in areas far from their houses without giving them the right to apply for a transfer to a closer school.

- They are obligated to fill forms every month to get their salary and wait 7 to 10 days to actually get the payment.

Last month, Human Rights Watch has released its annual world report in which violations against the Bedoon were documented. This is a summary from their report. The NGO’s director in the Middle East was recently in Kuwait and met with the head of Central Agency for Illegal Residents. Nadim Houry stated: the agency only speaks to us of the privileges Bedoon have without talking about a plan to naturalize Bedoon and solve their issue.

At least 106,000 Bidun live in Kuwait. After an initial registration period for citizenship ended in 1960, authorities shifted Bidun citizenship applications to a series of administrative committees that have avoided resolving their claims.

Authorities claim that most Bidun are “illegal residents” who deliberately destroyed evidence of other nationality in order to get the generous benefits that the state provides to its citizens.

In March 2011, the government granted Bidun benefits and services such as free health care and education, as well as registration of births, marriages, and deaths. However, those benefits don’t provide a path to citizenship. Some Bidun complained that bureaucratic processes prevented many from accessing those benefits.

Since February 2011, hundreds of Bidun have frequently taken to the streets to protest the government’s failure to address their citizenship claims. The government issued repeated warnings that Bidun should not gather in public, despite the country’s obligation under international law to protect the right to peaceful assembly. Article 12 of the 1979 Public Gatherings law bars non-Kuwaitis from participating in public gatherings.

The security forces beat Bidun protesters and detained dozens when they suppressed peaceful demonstrations. Detained Bidun reported physical abuse in detention. In one instance, on May 1, security forces violently dispersed around 300 protesters in Taima, northwest of Kuwait City, and arrested 14 of them. The Ministry of Interior said protesters had committed “shameful acts,” such as trying to “burn tires and block roads.” Local rights activists told Human Rights Watch that the gathering was peaceful. The detained Bidun were freed after nearly two weeks.

According to local activists and lawyers, nearly 180 Bidun and Kuwaitis were tried on charges such as “participating in an illegal gathering,” “resisting, insulting, and threatening police officers,” and “destroying police property,” stemming from their participation in demonstrations in 2011 and 2012.

Al-Fadhli completes 5 days in hunger strike

After going on hunger strike from 16th of January to 4th of February, Bedoon activist Abdulhakim al-Fadhli decided to go back to hunger strike. The activist’s decision comes after his trial was postponed one more time to the 6th of March. The activist was sentenced to two years in jail for organizing illegal protesting and attacking a policeman. Here’s a statement from al-Fadhli from his prison:

Dear brothers and sisters,

I stopped my hunger strike temporarily to give a chance for the judiciary to make the right decision and ensure I receive justice.
My good friend the Lawyer Mohammed al-Humaidi, head of Kuwaiti Human Rights Association, asked me to stop my hunger strike. He said: “don’t let us down.” Those words touched me and made me stop my hunger strike temporarily.

Brothers and sisters,

Today, as you can see, this destructive approach to our nation is violating the Constitution and the law.
We must defend our freedom and our dignity and our country from the domination of the tyrants and their oppression.

Today I take this historical responsibility and I will start by myself.

I announce from my cell my hunger strike starting from today – Feb. 10th 2013 at 8 p.m. until I achieve my demands.

Dear brothers and sisters,

I appreciate your feelings and the high sense of responsibility you possess for my case and the injustice against me. I hope you respect and support my decision of resuming the hunger strike, thank you all.

Yours,
Abdulhakeem Alfadhli
Human rights advocate and Kuwaiti bedoon rights defender.