KUWAIT COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION (COI) REPORT COI Service 29 March 2011 KUWAIT 29 MARCH 2011 Contents Preface Latest News EVENTS IN KUWAIT FROM 14 TO 24 MARCH 2011 Useful news sources for further information Paragraphs Background Information 1. GEOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................ 1.01 Map ........................................................................................................................ 1.05 2. ECONOMY ................................................................................................................ 2.01 Exchange rates, as at 13 March 2011 ................................................................. 2.07 3. HISTORY .................................................................................................................. 3.01 Death of the Amir: January 2006......................................................................... 3.03 Elections: May 2009 ............................................................................................. 3.04 Other developments: June 2009 – August 2010 ................................................ 3.06 4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS: SEPTEMBER 2010 – MARCH 2011....................................... 4.01 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................................................................................................................ 8.12 Extra-judicial killings........................................................................................... 8.13 Avenues of complaint .......................................................................................... 8.15 9. MILITARY SERVICE .................................................................................................... 9.01 10. JUDICIARY................................................................................................................ 10.01 Organisation ......................................................................................................... 10.03 Constitutional Court............................................................................................ 10.07 Independence and fair trial.................................................................................. 10.08 Laws of Kuwait ..................................................................................................... 10.13 11. ARREST AND DETENTION – LEGAL RIGHTS .................................................................. 11.01 12. PRISON CONDITIONS ................................................................................................. 12.01 13. DEATH PENALTY ....................................................................................................... 13.01 Blood money......................................................................................................... 13.05 14. POLITICAL AFFILIATION ............................................................................................. 14.01 ii The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 13 March 2011. Further brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 24 March 2011. 29 MARCH 2011 KUWAIT Freedom of political expression.......................................................................... 14.02 Freedom of association and assembly............................................................... 14.06 Association......................................................................................................... 14.08 Assembly............................................................................................................ 14.13 Diwaniyas....................................................................................................... 14.19 Opposition groups and political activists .......................................................... 14.23 15. FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND MEDIA............................................................................... 15.01 Journalists and the Media ................................................................................... 15.06 16. HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS, ORGANISATIONS AND ACTIVISTS .................................... 16.01 17. CORRUPTION............................................................................................................ 17.01 Electoral corruption ............................................................................................. 17.03 Police corruption.................................................................................................. 17.05 18. FREEDOM OF RELIGION.............................................................................................. 18.01 Religious groups .................................................................................................. 18.06 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 Law, census and committees ............................................................................. 19.12 Status, documentation and rights....................................................................... 19.17 Citizenship ..................................................................................................... 19.26 Documentation............................................................................................... 19.29 ‘Documented’ Bidun (registered with the Executive Committee for Illegal Residents (ECIR) by June 2000) ............. 19.32 ‘Undocumented’ Bidun (not registered with the Executive Committee for Illegal Residents (ECIR) by June 2000) ............. 19.34 Travel documents / Article 17 documents ...................................................... 19.35 Alien Reporting Cards.................................................................................... 19.38 20. LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER PERSONS .............................................. 20.01 Legal rights ........................................................................................................... 20.01 Lesbians and gay men ....................................................................................... 20.01 Transgender persons ......................................................................................... 20.04 Treatment by, and attitudes of, state authorities............................................... 20.06 Lesbians and gay men ....................................................................................... 20.06 Transgender persons ......................................................................................... 20.08 Societal treatment and attitudes ......................................................................... 20.10 21. WOMEN ................................................................................................................... 21.01 Overview ............................................................................................................... 21.01 Legal rights ........................................................................................................... 21.07 Political rights....................................................................................................... 21.12 Social and economic rights................................................................................. 21.18 Education and employment................................................................................ 21.18 Marriage, divorce, child