KUWAIT COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION (COI) REPORT COI Service 25 April 2012 KUWAIT 25 APRIL 2012 Contents Preface Latest News EVENTS IN KUWAIT FROM 24 MARCH TO 25 APRIL 2012 Useful news sources for further information Paragraphs Background Information 1. GEOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................... 1.01 Map ........................................................................................................................... 1.05 2. ECONOMY .................................................................................................................. 2.01 Exchange rates, as at 10 April 2012 ..................................................................... 2.09 3. HISTORY ..................................................................................................................... 3.01 Death of the Amir: January 2006 .......................................................................... 3.03 Elections: May 2009 ............................................................................................... 3.04 Other developments: June 2009 – September 2011 ........................................... 3.06 4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS: OCTOBER 2011 – MARCH 2012 ........................................... 4.01 Political developments .......................................................................................... 4.01 Run-up to the 2012 parliamentary elections ........................................................ 4.01 2012 parliamentary elections ............................................................................... 4.04 Other recent developments ................................................................................... 4.09 5. CONSTITUTION ............................................................................................................ 5.01 6. POLITICAL SYSTEM ...................................................................................................... 6.01 Human Rights 7. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................ 7.01 8. SECURITY FORCES ...................................................................................................... 8.01 Police ....................................................................................................................... 8.02 Armed forces .......................................................................................................... 8.03 National Guard ..................................................................................................... 8.04 Civil Defence ........................................................................................................ 8.06 Kuwait State Security (KSS) ................................................................................ 8.07 Other Government forces ...................................................................................... 8.08 Customs ............................................................................................................... 8.08 Border Security and Coast Guards ...................................................................... 8.09 Human rights violations by government forces ................................................. 8.10 Arbitrary arrest and detention .............................................................................. 8.11 Torture .................................................................................................................. 8.13 Extra-judicial killings ............................................................................................. 8.18 Avenues of complaint ............................................................................................ 8.20 9. MILITARY SERVICE ...................................................................................................... 9.01 10. JUDICIARY .................................................................................................................. 10.01 Organisation ........................................................................................................... 10.04 Constitutional Court .............................................................................................. 10.10 Independence and fair trial .................................................................................... 10.12 Laws of Kuwait ....................................................................................................... 10.20 ii The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 23 March 2012. Further brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 25 April 2012. 25 APRIL 2012 KUWAIT 11. ARREST AND DETENTION – LEGAL RIGHTS .................................................................... 11.01 12. PRISON CONDITIONS ................................................................................................... 12.01 13. DEATH PENALTY ......................................................................................................... 13.01 Blood money ........................................................................................................... 13.04 14. POLITICAL AFFILIATION ............................................................................................... 14.01 Freedom of political expression ........................................................................... 14.02 February 2012 parliamentary elections ................................................................ 14.06 Freedom of association and assembly ................................................................ 14.09 Association ........................................................................................................... 14.11 Assembly .............................................................................................................. 14.16 Diwaniyas (traditional gatherings) .................................................................... 14.23 Opposition groups and political activists ............................................................ 14.27 15. FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND MEDIA ................................................................................ 15.01 Journalists and the media ..................................................................................... 15.10 16. HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS, ORGANISATIONS AND ACTIVISTS ..................................... 16.01 17. CORRUPTION .............................................................................................................. 17.01 Electoral corruption ............................................................................................... 17.03 Police corruption .................................................................................................... 17.06 18. FREEDOM OF RELIGION................................................................................................ 18.01 Religious groups .................................................................................................... 18.07 19. FOREIGN NATIONALS AND NON-NATIONALS RESIDENT IN KUWAIT ................................... 19.01 Foreign nationals (also referred to as expatriates) ............................................ 19.02 Foreign refugees .................................................................................................... 19.07 Bidun (also Bidoon, Bedoon, Bedoun, Bedun) ................................................... 19.09 Origins of statelessness in Kuwait ....................................................................... 19.11 Iraqi invasion: August 1990 ............................................................................. 19.17 Citizenship laws, census and committees ........................................................... 19.19 Status, documentation and rights ........................................................................ 19.35 Documentation ................................................................................................. 19.51 Travel documents/Article 17 ............................................................................ 19.58 Alien Reporting Cards ...................................................................................... 19.66 2011 demonstrations ............................................................................................ 19.67 Government plans for reform ............................................................................... 19.75 20. LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER (LGBT)PERSONS ................................... 20.01 Legal rights ............................................................................................................. 20.01 Lesbians and gay men ......................................................................................... 20.01 Transgender persons ........................................................................................... 20.06 Treatment by, and attitudes of, state authorities ................................................ 20.09 Lesbians and gay men ......................................................................................... 20.10 Transgender persons ........................................................................................... 20.11 Societal treatment and attitudes ..........................................................................